Echo Neutra is an interesting brand, and I’ll be honest I’ve never really liked them but the new Rivanera is getting close. Making use of the Peseux 7001 hand-wound movement and Grade 5 Titanium Echo Neutra’s new rectangular dress watch is quite lovely. I really want to be head over heels for this watch but something doesn’t hit quite right. All said I’m excited to see what this new chapter holds for the brand.

I remember when the Swatch “What if” collection was first revealed, and I was almost suckered into buying one. Fortunately for me all of the colors were boring but Swatch has been consistently expanding the collection and has just announced a three watch collection making use of artwork from the original “Swatch World Breakdancing Championship” including Keith Haring’s artwork.

Christopher Ward has just officially announced the entire Twelve collection has their micro-adjust system on the butterfly clasp that was first introduced on the Twelve X. Pretty cool, that’s all

The Longines Zulu Time is a beautiful watch, with incredibly long lugs¹, Today however, Hodinkee just published an article written by Anthony Traina that pointed out to me the lug-to-lug length is actually shorter than 47mm! I am incredibly shallow so now that I know this fact I feel like I need one. That’s all

1. Shorter proportionally than a Club Campus ↩︎

Okay, so they aren’t quite the huge brand that everybody loves but slowly I do see them making it there, somewhat. Awhile ago the brand released a watch called the Millesime, it was dressy and somewhat Art Deco but for me it was always too big for the style of the watch. Finally (as of like a week ago) Raymond Weil is introducing a newer smaller version of the watch, still automatic, still beautiful, just in a nicer 35mm size. Here is an in depth hands on look written by Rebecca Doulton on Monochrome Watches.

The fan favorite Hamilton Murph just got two new variations, Danny Milton from Teddy Baldassarre reports. The less exciting version is just adding a new three link bracelet to the oldy but a goodie black dial, but Hamilton is also adding a white dial to the collection!

When I visited Baltic’s showroom in Paris the Hermetique immediately won my heart¹, but the Prismic was no slouch. Today Baltic announced three limited additions to the Prismic collection. Instead of the textured dials they went with three different stones, Green Jade for New York, Red Agate for London and Lapis Lazuli for Paris². I do still love this collection and I love me a stone dial I just don’t love that mesh band, it didn’t fit my wrist quite right. Anyways, if you want an in-depth hands-on post check out Hodinkee or something! I’m just here to break the news on my niche.

1. I might’ve even bought a Prismic if the timing was better ↩︎
2. Paris is scientifically blue at this point ↩︎

Looking back at my archive I really do feel like a one trick pony, but it’s my blog so I don’t care. Today Christopher Ward released “six new colors” for the Sealander collection. As is the norm for the brand the two different sizes are slightly different in colors but each size has a sort of silver, aquamarine, and dark blue color. All photos, as usual come straight from CW’s website. The new colors are as follows:

In Christopher Ward’s press release they did announce “six new colors”, the other two colors are their Dragonfly color-way they released on the Sealander GMT, so I feel no need to include those, although now that the Dragonfly color-way is available in standard, and GMT 36, and 39mm options is only a good thing.

Hodinkee writer Jonathan McWhorter breaks the news, but Swatch has just released select models of the MoonSwatch online in the U.S. and China¹. The four models are, Mission to Mars, Mission on Earth, Mission the the Moon, and the Mission to the Sun². Swatch, I’ve moved on³ but apparently you don’t think others have.

1. Not Europe? ↩︎
2. My precious ↩︎
3. How embarrassing (for them) ↩︎

The most shocking collaboration, I think ever in the history of collaborations was also announced this morning. Beloved British indie brand Studio Underd0g and horological legend H. Moser & Cie are on complete opposite spectrums of the European watchmaking scene sure, but it is important to note that both brands are loved for thinking a bit outside of the box. The collaboration brings us two watches with familiar styles both inspired by the passion fruit. It’s a bummer that in order to get the Underd0g I have to get the Moser….

I’m always excited for Christopher Ward releases and this one is no exception. This release sees a shit ton of lume¹ added to their distinctive, but professional, dive watch. My personal favorite is the orange version but if it weren’t for the size I would say I’m in love.

1. Overcompensating maybe? ↩︎

Today is a big day for indie watchmaking so I thought I would fire out a few rapid fire posts¹. First up Farer expands their Tonneau collection with the New York²! I’ve loved the general case shape³ that Farer offers forever now but there wasn’t a color combination that I liked. But as of today they brought this distinct copper and blue⁴ to the dial and now I’m in love.

1. buckle up ↩︎
2. where dreams are made of ↩︎
3. I wish it could be a bit thinner ↩︎
4. Farer loves orange and blue (so do I) ↩︎

I first fell in love with the French brand with the Superman. Unfortunately that watch was always too big for my wrist and honestly the bracelet was kinda crap¹. Well Yema just released yet another dive watch, called the Diver². It is a vintage themed sort of skin diver and it looks pretty solid³. Add to that the 39.5mm diameter with a sub 47mm lug-to-lug I actually think this one has a chance of fitting in my collection.

1. Jangly, thin, hair rippy ↩︎
2. Love the creativity ↩︎
3. I genuinely like this meaty look ↩︎

British brand Farer is no stranger to experimenting with new dials on old cases. Along with reopening the orange Resolute 36mm pre-orders the other day, this morning Farer released 4 new dials for their cushion case. Look I’ll get straight to the point, Farer need’s to stop releasing these watches because I don’t have the willpower but I do have a credit card.

Sternglas is a weird brand for me, see I discovered them because I wanted a good quality minimalist watch at a relatively affordable watch. By now my style has changed quite a bit¹ and as I have learned more about this culture but the Naos has always been appealing to me. The problem was the thickness of the auto version, and the quartz-ness of the quartz version. Now quartz isn’t bad², but my love for watches comes from the craftsmanship of using mechanical movements. Today Sternglas announces the Naos Pro with a thinner Miyota 9015³ movement, a refined dial and handset and a beautiful bridle leather strap among many other updates⁴. This may not be my favorite watch ever but I still can’t help but fall a little bit in love with this smashing Bauhaus watch.

1. Bauhaus -> Art Deco ↩︎
2. Brew Metric j’adore ↩︎
3. I have a lot of love for this series ↩︎
4. Seriously there’s a lot new to see ↩︎

Every time a brand I like releases a limited edition watch my heart breaks a little bit. I don’t have the money to just drop $1,200,, especially when I just bought myself a watch for my birthday. However these new CW’s feature beautiful colors and matching straps and the bracelets all have the micro-adjust that was introduced with the Twelve X. All this to say, maybe CW will update the purple Twelve 36mm with that slick micro adjust and a color matched strap, that gives me hope.

I was excited for this new Furlan Marri, since at least the past couple months when they teased a flying saucer. Well now it’s finally here and I gotta say, it’s cool I guess. Now from a pure design perspective I love everything that is being done here, the lugs, the size, oh the dial its gorgeous. But, something about it doesn’t quite work for me and I was looking forward to this watch. Well, you know what they say, it is what it is, and this one isn’t (for me).

I have admired Furlan Marri for awhile, unfortunately none of their designs quite worked for me. However the past few months they have been teasing a new watch, with a UFO. This is the current teaser on their website and with the integrated crown, pebble like case and high polished surface I’m already in love. Come to think of it with that crown I’m realizing I may only have room in my heart for one style of watch…

As you all might know my favorite watch brand is Baltic. Yes I have an emotional connection given the study abroad I recently partook in but also I just love their designs, and prices. For their latest release they introduced a new style in the MR series. It comes in the same colors (sans gold) and is a bit more industrial in design, with more brushing on the case and a roulette dial. I absolutely love this watch but I do wish it would have a hand-wound movement, I already have an auto in my collection.

When I was first getting into mechanical watches I adored minimalist watches¹. As I have matured (not just in this community) my tastes have expanded. However the Open Water by Vero has persisted. Now I am heavily biased because Vero is an Oregon based watch brand², that’s only one US state away! But nevertheless the new Vero Open Water 38 is just so close to perfect. Equipped with Nodus’ Nodex clasp for easy micro-adjustment, two flashy colors³ I seem to have almost fallen back in love. It’s a shame no watch can ever beat the Farer Aquamatic⁴.

If you are still reading, I thank you for your time and ask you read this last paragraph. Currently the state of Israel is committing a genocide on the citizens of Palestine. I want to make one thing clear, I am not calling for any violence against Jews, or Muslims and any harmful rhetoric or actions towards any of these groups should and will not be tolerated. What would mean the world however is if you happen to have some cash to spare, send it along to the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund. The world is all kinds of fucked up right now but there are many ways we as individuals can help, there are more resources on this page here and all over the internet. I don’t have much of a voice but I will not be silent with the little I have. Thank you and wherever you are in the world I wish you well.

1. cut me some slack I was coming from an Apple Watch ↩︎
2. PNW FTW ↩︎
3. Okay, highlighter and white but still ↩︎
4. Someday I will own the Thurso ↩︎

Omega just announced the release of three new colors on the Seamaster Aqua terra. Now it’s not fun or anything but I like myself a glossy black dial on a sport watch, especially a water-sports themed watch. All three sizes retail for $6,600.00 in the US. I think it’s cool at least

Well the title does really sum it up but recently Sternglas released a couple new colors in their quartz Naos line. And with every new color that the brand releases, every new Bauhaus edition I fall in love a little bit more with this little German watch. The only problem is with such a small collection is that it feels a bit cheap to have two beige watches.

Now I don’t care about smart watches in any sense of the word but friend of the blog Electric Cable Car reported yesterday on the new watch. I won’t lie though, I am a Suunto girl for everything outdoors.

My entire life I have been surrounded by technology, more specifically digital technology. To this day I cannot tell you how a modern computer works, but I have a very solid grasp on the inner workings of a mechanical watch¹. This is all to say I have been biding my time and trying to save up for (and decide on) my first ever mechanical watch. Originally my budget was set fairly high², at least enough so I could justify buying a Nomos Club Campus, but life brought me to France. Okay well actually two Boeings³ but you get the point, now that I had the opportunity to live in France for nearly three months it felt wrong to buy a Christopher Ward when Baltic was right in front of me the entire time.

I haven’t always been in love with the brand⁴, but when the Hermétique was first teased I instantly fell in love. The integrated crown, the rail master styled lume and four outdoorsy inspired colors there was nothing I didn’t like. Well except for the finishing, and actually I prefer bright colors, and while I’m at it I just really love the vibe of The Twelve by Christopher Ward. All of these opinions were founded on the photos provided from Baltic, which while good photos, don’t exactly show off the watch in its true glory⁵. At the end of the day the Baltic Hermétique is a field watch, and therefore shouldn’t have the most flashy finishing or even colors⁶. Needless to say Baltic’s showroom in Paris was a must visit and the Hermétique was love at third sight.

Okay, so you know where my head was at when I bought this watch, but how has my experience been with the watch since I’ve owned it? Simply put everything about this watch has been great, for me. Even though I will always prefer a bright purple over a beige⁷ at least the Hermétique is a strap monster and I already have quite a few straps that I am eying in the near future. The size has been great⁸ and it has just been nice wearing a mechanical watch rather than my previous Swatches.

But let’s take a closer look at the true selling point of this watch (in my humble opinion). The dial is absolutely incredible, I am a big fan of a sector dial and this watch executes this Art Déco style so well⁹. The beige and black sections are separated by a thin shiny ring. The black outer ring has a bold railroad pattern for the minute track and the baguette indices cross over all three sectors of the dial. Everything about this dial just works well, especially with the vintage themed syringe styled handset¹⁰.

What I wasn’t expecting was the feel. I know that’s weird but despite its relative thinness holding this watch in hand just feels right¹¹. The sharp edges of the case, the weight, and just the brushing is so fine you can barely tell it’s even brushed. Put the beautifully simple and open dial with the pleasingly finished case and bezel and the proportions of the watch, I don’t feel like I need anything else¹².

So what do I not like? Luckily I only need a few sentences. The crown is integrated, so as beautiful and comfortable as it is on wrist winding is miserable and setting the time isn’t that great¹³. The lugs could be a bit shorter and finally, the tropic strap doesn’t quite fit my wrist well. It is easy to get used to the crown so I’m not that fussed about it and I can always get another strap anyways so what are you gonna do?

The entire experience of owning this watch has shocked me. I’ll admit in doing all of my research, trying to decide on what my first mechanical watch would be I really thought that I wouldn’t be satisfied with a simple field watch. Not when Studio Underd0g has their delicious strawberry lemonade dial¹⁴, or Christopher Ward has the heavily textured, incredibly finished Twelve¹⁵, even Nomos has in house movements with absolutely luxuriously proportioned and executed dials¹⁶. And yet, the stepped case has the perfect edge, the mirror polished bezel is just the right size to not catch fingerprints¹⁷ and the dial is so incredibly readable even with the white lume on the beige dial. I can’t wait until I have a start that will properly fit my wrist.

If I had to conclude my thoughts, the Baltic Hermétique is a surprisingly spacious little field watch. This field watch is the only of its kind that I have come across that reminds me of a beautiful day in the mountains, maybe even a beach. The Baltic Hermétique is a breath of fresh air in an increasingly modern and urban world.

1. All springs and gears and stuff right? ↩︎
2. At least $1,800 ↩︎
3. My journey was harrowing ↩︎
4. The HMS 003 also helped ↩︎
5. I looked at in hand images on Instagram ↩︎
6. Some underdogs would disagree ↩︎
7. The beige was the most unique (has that ever been said before?) ↩︎
8. For the first time ever my wrist feels large ↩︎
9. Trust me, I did a whole college quarter project on this ↩︎
10. Not to mention the spacing of the text ↩︎
11. My favorite surprise ↩︎
12. Well maybe a leather strap, and a nato strap and a… ↩︎
13. Still manageable with small enough fingers ↩︎
14. yummy ↩︎
15. ooooooo ↩︎
16. aaaaaaa ↩︎
17. Or my vision isn’t good enough ↩︎

I finally bought a mechanical watch! I have been saving up for like, one and a half, maybe two years¹ and have been going back and forth on what I want my first mechanical watch to be². But then life made the decision for me and sent me to France³. This trip has been an educational one for me therefore I had to buy a watch. Okay well the actual reason was because I just recently celebrated my birthday, but hey, I am studying French watchmaking this year.

This watch is beautiful, the perfect weight and size all that’s missing are the fun colors I love so much from Farer or Anordain, but that’s a pretty high bar. I am planning a full review for later, maybe a month or so because I have a lot of external feelings not related to this watch right now⁴, but I made the right decision. Below is a picture I took of the watch on my wrist in the Baltic showroom, thanks y’all!

1. Crazy to think about ↩︎
2. Nomos, CW, Farer, Tissot, Seiko, etc. etc. etc. ↩︎
3. Study abroad ftw ↩︎
4. Men… ↩︎