New Criteria for "Swiss Made" Label

In fact, in 1992 the watch industry witnessed two amendments to the law specifying that the casing-up and final inspection must be carried out in Switzerland, but it almost did not change the situation. The reinforcement of the Swiss Made label is expected to cause supply problems. It will require several years and suppliers, the same as watch brands, will have to adapt to the new criteria. The leading watch companies, with their weight within the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry equal to their presence in the watch*** market, had already supported the idea of stricter criteria.

Wyler Geneve Tourbillon - a Wonder of Shock-Protection

The strap is fixed to the carbon fibre case middle with help of separate screws passing through the back of the case. The titanium screws and a titanium pin are necessary for fixing the matching buckle to the strap's end. The crown crafted in the metal corresponding to the case reminds a Formula 1 car tire as it is covered in grooved natural rubber.The Wyler Geneve Tourbillon is 50-meter water-resistant. The watch has been developed in a limited edition of just 24 pieces.It creates a nice symmetry with the tourbillon cage. All the key elements visible on the dial, including the power reserve indicator, tourbillon cage, GMT dial and trust index, are surrounded by applied rings. They are provided with applied Arabic hour numerals around the edge of the dial and the applied letters forming the Wyler name. The dial features the individual limited-edition number of the watch. The front and back of the case are covered by anti-reflective scratch-resistant sapphire crystals.The Wyler Geneve Tourbillon's creators offered the choice between a titanium, 18K red gold or platinum models. The watches go with a natural rubber strap featuring the signature Wyler pattern.

Wyler Geneve Tourbillon - a Wonder of Shock-Protection

When the timepiece is fully wound, the balance wheel amplitude is slightly higher than the optimum level, then it stabilizes and drops as the power reserve approaches the zero point. If the watch's wearer keeps the trust index hand in the middle part of the scale when he winds the watch, this way it provides optimum accuracy and does not over-wind the timepiece.At 12 o'clock there is the 24-hour GMT sub-dial with a single hour hand.This way the watch's creators provided the crown with failsafe protection.The third level of protection lies at the heart of the watch's movement. There is an aperture on the dial positioned at six o'clock that offers the view to the flying tourbillon. To provide maximum shock-absorption, it is fixed to aluminum bridges on two shock-absorbing springs. Thus, the tourbillon itself is suspended within the suspended movement while rotating on its own axis. It performs one revolution every 60 seconds, compensating for the gravity effects on the mechanism.Above the tourbillon cage aperture at 6 o'clock you will notice two important meters used as the reflection of the timepiece's accuracy. At 9 o'clock there is the 120-hour power reserve indicator showing the movement's charge. On the opposite part of the dial at 3 o'clock there is a trust index indicating the balance wheel amplitude.

Wyler Geneve Tourbillon - a Wonder of Shock-Protection

The brand's hand-wound tourbillon caliber WT001 is housed in a titanium case framed in a carbon fibre resin construction that forms the lightweight but strong case middle. The bezel and case-back are fixed to the carbon fibre frame with help of titanium screws cushioned by small springs. This way the Wyler Geneve watchmakers developed a sandwich-like design used for leaving the movement suspended within the timepiece.The second level of protection is represented by the crown lock developed according the patented Wyler Geneve design. The lock is attached to the case on either side of the crown. To operate the crown, it is necessary to pull the lock out on both sides.The new Wyler Geneve Tourbillon is based upon matchless combination of shock-absorbing features, so that the watch's owner is sure his timepiece will resist any rigors of everyday wearing. The robustly designed case houses the tourbillon bridges provided with additional shock absorption. The wearer of the timepiece will be able to maintain the highest accuracy level for the movement with help of the special trust index display found on the watch's dial.The contemporary case design is the first feature in the Wyler Geneve Tourbillon's triple shock protection system. The case, being a real feat of miniature engineering, is crafted in high-end materials.

The Seiko Spring Drive Explained

Mechanical replica omega watch use devices call escapements which provide the friction necessary to causethe main spring to unwind at a rate consistent with unitsof time (otherwise themain spring would simply unwind all at once). Escapementsare the most intricate, delicate, and expensive components of mechanical and automaticwatches. Automatic WatchesAutomatic watches typically operate just like mechanical watches, except theyuse a small weight or rotor to automatically wind the main spring. The weight windsthe main spring by pivoting around shaft as you move your arm during your everydayroutine. Most automatic watches can also be wound like mechanical watches, thoughthere is seldom a need to do so. Automatic watches are far more common todaythan mechanical watches (when was the last time you saw someone wind their watch?).Quartz WatchesQuartz watches operate entirely differently than automatic and mechanical watches.A quartz omega of watches uses electricity from a battery to osculate a tiny quartz crystalat a very high and very predictable frequency. Those vibrations are counted andadd up to seconds, minutes, hours, etc. Quartz watches are almost always more accuratethan their automatic and mechanical counterparts, usually gaining or losing nomore than 15 seconds per month, and in some cases, as few as 20 seconds per year. (It's usually acceptable for automaticwatches to gain as many as 6 seconds per day, or 3 minutes per month.) Seiko Kinetic WatchesKinetic watches are sort of a combination of automatic and quartz watches. Theycontain a weight like automatic watches which responds to arm movements, but ratherthan winding a main spring, the weight powers a tiny generator which stores powerin a capacitor, or a rechargeable battery. That power is then used to power a standardquartz movement, thus giving you the accuracy of a quartz watch, but without abattery that needs to be replaced. It's worth noting that kinetic watch capacitorsdo occasionally need to be replaced, but much less frequently than standard seiko watches batteries. I have a Seiko Kinetic watch that is over 6 years old, and the capacitorstill works beautifully. The Seiko Spring DriveThe Seiko Spring Drive actually contains a main spring like an automatic or mechanic fashion seiko, but it is made from a material which provides more elasticity than yourtypical main spring, providing a power reserve of 72 hours as opposedto the more common 40 hours. What is really unique about the Spring Drive, however,is that it does not use an escapement to regulate the unwinding of the main spring.Rather, it uses a "Tri-synchro regulator" which regulates the energy generatedby the main spring, and uses that energy to power a crystal oscillator.In other words, the Spring Drive is an even tighter integration between automaticand quartz movements than even kinetic watches because the crystal is directlypowered by the main spring rather than a rechargeable capacitor. The result is accuracy of about one second or less per day, and a completely smooth, sweepinghand movement.The Seiko Spring Drive should be available all over the world (including the US!)sometime after September of 2005. No information on pricing as of yet, but youcan bet I'll be reviewing one of these as soon as I can get my hands on one.

The Seiko Spring Drive Explained

Mechanical replica omega watch use devices call escapements which provide the friction necessary to causethe main spring to unwind at a rate consistent with unitsof time (otherwise themain spring would simply unwind all at once). Escapementsare the most intricate, delicate, and expensive components of mechanical and automaticwatches. Automatic WatchesAutomatic watches typically operate just like mechanical watches, except theyuse a small weight or rotor to automatically wind the main spring. The weight windsthe main spring by pivoting around shaft as you move your arm during your everydayroutine. Most automatic watches can also be wound like mechanical watches, thoughthere is seldom a need to do so. Automatic watches are far more common todaythan mechanical watches (when was the last time you saw someone wind their watch?).Quartz WatchesQuartz watches operate entirely differently than automatic and mechanical watches.A quartz omega of watches uses electricity from a battery to osculate a tiny quartz crystalat a very high and very predictable frequency. Those vibrations are counted andadd up to seconds, minutes, hours, etc. Quartz watches are almost always more accuratethan their automatic and mechanical counterparts, usually gaining or losing nomore than 15 seconds per month, and in some cases, as few as 20 seconds per year. (It's usually acceptable for automaticwatches to gain as many as 6 seconds per day, or 3 minutes per month.) Seiko Kinetic WatchesKinetic watches are sort of a combination of automatic and quartz watches. Theycontain a weight like automatic watches which responds to arm movements, but ratherthan winding a main spring, the weight powers a tiny generator which stores powerin a capacitor, or a rechargeable battery. That power is then used to power a standardquartz movement, thus giving you the accuracy of a quartz watch, but without abattery that needs to be replaced. It's worth noting that kinetic watch capacitorsdo occasionally need to be replaced, but much less frequently than standard seiko watches batteries. I have a Seiko Kinetic watch that is over 6 years old, and the capacitorstill works beautifully. The Seiko Spring DriveThe Seiko Spring Drive actually contains a main spring like an automatic or mechanic fashion seiko, but it is made from a material which provides more elasticity than yourtypical main spring, providing a power reserve of 72 hours as opposedto the more common 40 hours. What is really unique about the Spring Drive, however,is that it does not use an escapement to regulate the unwinding of the main spring.Rather, it uses a "Tri-synchro regulator" which regulates the energy generatedby the main spring, and uses that energy to power a crystal oscillator.In other words, the Spring Drive is an even tighter integration between automaticand quartz movements than even kinetic watches because the crystal is directlypowered by the main spring rather than a rechargeable capacitor. The result is accuracy of about one second or less per day, and a completely smooth, sweepinghand movement.The Seiko Spring Drive should be available all over the world (including the US!)sometime after September of 2005. No information on pricing as of yet, but youcan bet I'll be reviewing one of these as soon as I can get my hands on one.

Seiko Introduces the Spring Drive Chronograph

GMT (24-hour) hand. 12-hour chronograph (the only glide motion chronograph in the world).72-hour power reserve indicator. Date. See-through sapphire caseback. Deployment clasp with push-button release. handbag for gift to 10 meters, or about 30 feet. I've always liked the idea of the Spring Drive movement -- primarily for its superior accuracy, and its completely smooth motion -- and now that it has been enhanced with a glide-motion chronograph, I'm extremely intrigued. Hopefully, this technology will move out of the realm of the limited edition and into the mainstream very soon.We previously wrote about Seiko's innovativeSpring Drive handbag,and I'm personally a big fan of theirMarinemaster Spring Drive diver.At the annual Baselworld conference, Seiko announced the long-awaitedSpring Drive chronograph. Unfortunately, it's a 300-piece limited edition, with an exclusive price of€5,500 (about $7,500).There's a lot to like about the Seiko Spring Drive Chronograph and its design, including: Glide motion movement, meaning all hands move completely smoothly, not in "ticks" Titanium case and bracelet.

The New MTM Camouflage Series

I was a bit surprised that the crystals are mineral instead of sapphire, which would be moredurable, but would also drive the cost up.If you're looking for a rugged watch with an unusual look and some interesting history, go see what MTM has to offer.We wrote about the MTM Special Ops handbags in September of 2005, and found them unique, functional, and durable. We can now add "stealthy" to the list with the release of their three new models available in a camouflage finish. Stainless steel is difficult to paint, so MTM had to PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) them first, then apply paint. Not only is each watch individually numbered since this is a limited edition series, but each mon handbags also has a slightly different paintjob, so no two are alike. From MTM's site:Each Camouflage Hawk is unique - no two are the same. The patented Camouflage finish is a painstaking process with each watch showing variations and slight imperfections in color and design. These variations are not defects but rather they add to the character and uniqueness of each and every Camouflage Hawk.MTM has also added four handbags in titanium for those preferring a lighter-weight timepiece. The titanium pieces are PVD and plain -- no cool camouflage.

Bell Ross: Watches for Professionals

Second time zone. Anti-glare sapphire crystal. Water-resistant to 100 meters (330 feet).The Function collection comes with either a black or silver dial. You can choosebetween a polished stainless steel bracelet, a leather (alligator skin) strap,or rubber strap. Retail prices range from $1,850 to $2,450. The Bell & Ross Vintage 126 XLBig watches are in. And so are the wide leather cuffs you often see them strappedto. If you want something tough, bold, and prominent on your arm, but Fossil, Diesel,and Guess watches from the local mall aren't exactly your thing, have a look atthe Bell & Ross Vintage 126 XL and Desert Type 126 XL (with those wonderful, widecalfskin safety straps). These luxury watches were created as a tribute to servicemen(some of the first professionals to wear wristwatches), and are only availablein a limited series of 999 number pieces.Features of the Bell & Ross Vintage 126 XL and Desert Type 126 XL:Automatic movement (42-hour power reserve).Stainless steel case with satin finish.Anti-glare sapphire crystal.Sapphire crystal caseback (exhibits the automatic movement inside).Date (between the 4 and 5 o'clock positions). Two-counter chronograph (60-second and 30-minute counters).Water-resistant to 200 meters (660 feet).Retail for both the Bell & Ross Vintage 126 XL and Desert Type 126 XL is $3,500. Water resistant to 200 meters (660 feet).Pushers and crown set into the case for extra protection and comfort.The Space three comes with either a white or black dial, and a metal orrubber strap. Retail pricing ranges from $2,500 to $3,150. The Bell & Ross Hydromax 11100 MThe Hydromax is one of the most sophisticated and impressive diver watches I haveever seen. It is built for nothing less than the absolute extremes of deep diving.Bell & Ross has used pressure tanks to demonstrate water resistance equivalentto 1,110 BAR, which is 11,100 meters -- well over 36,000 feet, or about 6.8 miles.(That's the first time I have ever expressed pressure resistance in miles!) Inother words, you'll need to be much more concerned about your life than your man watchesconsidering the absolute deepest dives are probably "only" around 310 meters, ora little over 1,000 feet. A nuclear powered attack sub can only go down to about2,000 feet, and sperm whales don't go down any deeper than 3,200 feet. In fact,the Hydromax is water resistant to almost exactly the deepest ever recorded oceandepth (discovered by a Soviet submersible in 1957). The secret of the Hydromaxis that it is filled with a transparent oil called Hydroil which helps to equalizethe pressure inside the case.Features of the Bell & Ross Hydromax include: Quartz movement (with a 4-year battery).Unidirectional rotating bezel.Luminescent hands. Water-resistant to the deepest known ocean depth (about 6.8 miles). Date. Anti-glare sapphire crystal.Dials are available in black or white, and the Hydromax comes with a steel bracelet,and both a rubber and a canvas strap (for fitting easily over a dive suite). Retailfor the Bell & Ross Hydromax is $2,400. The Bell & Ross Function CollectionThe Function Collection adds a bit of modernity to the classic Bell & Ross lineup,combining a traditional analog display with a sophisticated but subtle digitalLCD. At first glance, you are likely to mistake this watch for an elegant but ***analog timepiece -- depress the crown,however, and the previously invisible LCD emerges from the white or black dial,dramatically extending the nice watches's functionality.Features of the Bell & Ross Function collection:Quartz movement with both an analog and digital display.Perpetual date. (Includes day, date, month, and year in four different languages). Chronograph with lap timer (1/100 second resolution with a maximum time of24 hours). Countdown timer. (Supports hours, minutes, and seconds with a maximum time of24 hours).

Bell Ross: Watches for Professionals

Although I do not own a Bell & Ross watch myself, and therefore cannot speakdirectly from experience, in reviewing their collections, there are four watcheswhich seem particularly exceptional to me:The Bell & Ross Space 3The Bell & Ross Space 3 chronograph is designed for space mission pilots. Theemphasis of the nice seiko is on readability and profile: the pushers and the crownare set down into the case so that nothing protrudes. The crown is hidden by whatBell & Ross calls the T-Crown System. The crown is attached to a toothed telescopicextension which can be protracted to allow the crown to be unscrewed. Once thecrown is screwed back down, the extension can be fully retracted into thecase where it automatically locks flush into position through a spring loaded systemto give the watch a smooth outside edge.Features of the Bell & Ross Space 3 include:Automatic movement.Titanium or brushed steel case.Sapphire crystal.Three-counter chronograph.Date and day.Ask the average American to name a fine Swiss watch, and nine times out of tenyou're going to hear Rolex. You might get the occasional Omega or Tag Heuer, andif they really know what they're talking about, Breitling, IWC, Zenith, or maybeeven Patek Philippe.What you are not likely to hear is Bell & Ross, not because they don't makesome very compelling timepieces, but primarily because they have only been aroundsince 1992, which for a Swiss my watches company, is practically brand new (compareto Rolex which has been around since 1908, Omega which dates back to 1848, TagHeuer which has been around in one form or another since 1860, and Patek Philippewhich was founded in 1839). Not only is Bell & Ross a relative newcomer to theworld of Swiss watches, but they are also not widely distributed in the UnitedStates. With only 45 retail locations throughout the country, you're averagingless than one store per state, which makes a Bell & Ross watch more than threetimes as difficult to find as a Patek Philippe. Fortunately, I happen to live about20 minutes from the only Bell & Rossretailer in the Washington DC area, so I went in one day for an afternoon of windowshopping and questions. What I found was a display case full of beautiful, unique,and very well made watches. Bell & Ross watches primarily focus on dependability. They are watches forprofessionals like pilots, divers, astronauts, and even bomb disposal experts,whose jobs -- and in some cases, even lives -- may depend on their watches. EachBell & Rosstimepiece is designed and built with four basic principles in mind: readability,performance, precision, and water-resistance. When designing and engineering anew watch, the Bell & Ross motto is "the essential is never compromisedby the superfluous" which I think is apparent in their stark, straightforward,and professional designs. Each watch is tested under varying conditions in variouspositions, monitored, and adjusted over a two week period until it is 0 to +10seconds per day (for automatic watches) with a 40 hour reserve. Additionally, each watches brand is tested for its resistance to water, pressure, ultra-violet radiation,heat, humidity, shock, magnetic fields, hostile chemicals, and substantial temperaturevariation. If the watch survives all that, it is examined by a master watchmakerwho makes the final decision as to whether it can actually leave the factory ornot.