REVIEWS

Overview Heuer, the company that preceded TAG Heuer, manufactured their first dash counter for racing cars and aircraft in 1933, calling it “Autavia” which is a contraction of AUTomobile and AVIAtion. By 1962, the CEO, Jack Heuer, decided to start making Autavia wristwatches, which like the dash counters were designed for racing. They became so popular they remained in the collection until 1986. Naturally, those Autavias wristwatches and dash clocks, which have achieved vintage status, are all highly collectible now. Fast forward to Baselworld 2017, and TAG Heuer launched a close re-interpretation of the 1966 Heuer Autavia Ref. 2446 Mark 3 Rindt, which was named after famous F1 driver Jochen Rindt. That model comes with a reverse Panda dial (black dial with white counters) and a slightly larger 42 mm case, as opposed to the 39 mm case of the

Overview In 1999, Robert Greubel (CompliTime Greubel, la Neuveville) and Stephen Forsey (Stephen Forsey, Bureau d’Etude et Prototypy, Le Locle) began working as independents. In 2001, the two partnered together and formed CompliTime SA. They launched Greubel Forsey in 2004 and moved to Ancien Manège in Chau-de-Fonds. In 2011, Richemont SA bought a 20% stake in Greubel Forsey SA. Today, collectors who truly know watches, know Greubel Forsey is one of the most respected and expensive, watch manufactures on the planet. The dial A dial makes a watch, and the Balancier is no exception, in fact, this is one of the most intricately detailed dials I’ve ever seen. When you consider the construction, which I will explain in detail, I think you’ll agree. Notice how the center of the dial and the hour chapter ring are different shades or silver/gray.

Last year I reviewed the Seiko Prospex SRP775 Diver, and this week after wearing that watch for almost a year, I did a quick video review. There is really not much bad to say, it’s one of the best professional mechanical dive watches you can buy for the money, bar none.

The Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Mysterious Second Revelation (Ref. MP6558) comes in a steel case that measures 43 mm x 17 mm, is 51 mm in length, has a 21 mm interlug width, and weighs 113.6 grams. It is powered by hand wound in-house caliber ML215. Please watch the video for the full details.

The Seiko Prospex SRP637, commonly referred to as a “Baby Tuna,” was added to the line-up of Seiko’s Prospex series in 2015. One of the Baby Tuna’s most recognizable features is its 60-minute uni-directional rotating dive bezel with a stainless steel shroud. The stainless steel case and shroud measure 47.5 mm wide x 13.5 mm thick x 50 mm in length, with a weight of 202.5 grams (including the bracelet) but wears considerably smaller than the numbers might indicate. The locking crown (7 mm in diameter) is located at the 4 o ‘clock position, eliminating interference with the wrist. The Baby Tuna comes with a 22 mm/20 mm stainless steel bracelet which uses a pin and collar system for sizing and has micro adjustments on the clasp. There is also a folding expansion for the clasp in order to add

Overview Founded in 1975, the relatively young Swiss watchmaker, Maurice Lacroix, is headquartered in Biel/Bienne and has a watch manufacture in Saignelégier. However, the company we know today originally started with Desco von Schulthess, which began as a Zurich-based silk trading company, that after many years of exporting got involved in watch distribution, in 1946. They eventually did so well in the watch business that they acquired the Saignelégier-based watch assembler, Tiara, in 1961. The success continued to the point that Desco decided to create the brand Maurice Lacroix, in 1975. Maurice Lacroix went on to acquire case maker Queloz S.A. in 1989, also based in Saignelégier. And today, Maurice Lacroix produces many of their own movements, thanks to the combination of vertically integrated manufacturing elements that were purchased over the years by Desco von Schulthess. The dial Beginning with

Overview Originally founded by Carl Friedrich Bucherer in 1888, in Lucern, Switzerland, Bucherer started out as a watch retailer and jewelry store, selling a selection of the best brand name timepieces. In addition to their prominent chain of European retail stores, in 2001, the Bucherer Group created the luxury watch company Carl F. Bucherer, named after the company’s founder. In 2007, Carl F. Bucherer acquired Téchniques Horlogères Appliquées, giving them the ability to manufacture movements in-house, starting with the original CFB A1000 caliber, that debuted at Baselworld 2009. The A1000 caliber represented the first reliably functioning peripherally mounted rotor wound movement, which is even more impressive considering a few well-known watch companies tried to produce a reliable peripheral rotor watch movement but were unsuccessful. Introduction With the launch of the of the new caliber CFB A2000 – which powers the

The first watch capable of measuring 1/100th of a second Invented by Charles-Auguste Heuer in 1916, the Mikrograph stopwatch (not designed to tell the time) was the first watch to measure elapsed time with 1/100th of a second precision, thanks to a chronograph mechanism that beats at 360,000 vibrations per hour (50Hz). Almost 90 years later, the modern version of the legendary Mikrograph was resurrected by TAG Heuer, based on the same idea of using a 360,000 vph chronograph mechanism, but this time combined with the ability to indicate the time as well. This represented the first of the 1/100th of second chronographs to use the dual balance movement design which separates the timekeeping regulation (28,8000 vph - 4Hz), power, and transmission – from the chronograph regulation (360,000 vph - 50Hz), mainspring, and transmission. And in 2005, when the Carrera

Overview Chopard has a long history of associating with automobiles and racing, dating back to 1988, which is when the company became the official timekeeper of the Mille Miglia race in Italy. The ties with the automotive world began before 1988, though, as the owners of Chopard, Karl-Friedrich, and Karl Scheufele – who own collectible vintage and classic cars – were already participating in the Mille Miglia in the 1980s. Interestingly, according to Ralph Simons, the CEO of Chopard USA, the initial intention was not to create a commercially successful timepiece collection – it was instead developed with the idea of making a watch for the Mille Miglia participants. It did become of commercial success, of course, and Chopard has been the official timekeeper of the Mille Miglia ever since. The strong automobile and racing association continues to this day.

Seiko is not only the oldest Japanese watch manufacture – with horological expertise dating to 1892 – they also have an incredibly strong diving heritage. In 1965, Seiko released their first dive watch, the 150 meters water-resistant reference 62MAS-010. Many dive watch models followed over the years. And not much has changed in that regard, as Seiko continues to make numerous dive watch models across a broad range of price points. For this article, we will focus on the modern SRP775 Prospex Diver, based on vintage reference 6309 that was produced from 1976-1988. Introduced at Baselworld 2015, the Prospex SRP775 Diver, nicknamed the “Turtle,” shares the original 6309’s cushion-shaped case design and has approximately the same dimensions. In fact, the hands, bezel, crown – and even the embossed logo on the back – are virtually the same. There are, of