Category Archives: Odd & Ends

Newmark 71 Live on Kickstarter

 
Comments Off on Newmark 71 Live on Kickstarter
nowlivepic

The Newmark 71 Sports has gone live on Kickstarter! A reissue of a 1960/1970s sports watch, this time it comes with an automatic movement, screw down crown, sapphire crystal and sapphire bezel insert to boot.  Whilst not a ‘dive’ watch in the pure sense of the term, the Newmark 71 is perfectly comfortable beneath the water and yet slim and elegant enough to be worn with the most formal of attire! With a choice of three dial colours, three bezel colours and two no date … Continue reading →

Newmark 6BB RAF Chronograph: Re-edition

  ,
Comments Off on Newmark 6BB RAF Chronograph: Re-edition
6bbplan

For those in the know, from the early 1970s until the early 1980s, the RAF issued a series of mechanical chronographs to aircrew, all of an almost identical design.  Four companies were contracted to produce these watches over that period: Hamilton, CWC, Newmark and Precista (prior to the 1970s there had been others).  The Newmark is considered to be the rarest of this ‘Fabulous Four’.  Hamilton, CWC and Precista have produced modern iterations of those watches from days gone by with only the Newmark left neglected … Continue reading →

Dreadnought Voyager GMT – PRS-21 Imminent!

  ,
Comments Off on Dreadnought Voyager GMT – PRS-21 Imminent!
dngmt2

In the summer of 2003 I reviewed the original Dreadnought from Timefactors. The watch proved to be a classic and set the bar for micro-brand value for money (I don’t think there has been such VFM since).  A decade on and the Dreadnought Voyager is imminent. Voyager?  Well, this Dreadnought is equipped with a GMT movement in the guise of the ETA 2893-2, as used in watches extending into the thousands of Pounds (£). Knowing Timefactors, this one won’t extend that far and given that it … Continue reading →

Precista PRS-82 Royal Navy Diver From Timefactors

  ,
Comments Off on Precista PRS-82 Royal Navy Diver From Timefactors
prs-82-1

Here comes the Precista PRS-82! It’s been a busy year for Timefactors, with the release of a few hotly anticipated watches.  We have seen the Smiths PRS-68  – a superbly executed homage to the cult status Seiko 6105 dive watch and the bronze PRS-30 – a monster of a watch which had been conceived way back in 2008.  Quite soon we will have the Dreadnought Voyager – a GMT version of the classic Dreadnought which I reviewed back in 2003. A somewhat ‘quieter’ release is … Continue reading →

Seiko 4R36 -The Family In Brief

  ,
Comments Off on Seiko 4R36 -The Family In Brief
4r36b

In the past, Seiko have resurrected long discontinued calibres – the notable such reintroduction being the 4S15 (originally the 5246) which itself was received with much aplomb given its high beat of 28,800 bph, it’s hacking ability and the hand winding.  The 5246 was itself a very high grade calibre, more than capable of chronometer accuracy; indeed, it was utilised in various KS (King Seiko) models with official certification.  Having owned various models so equipped, I had a love hate relationship with the 4S15- it … Continue reading →

Who named the Speedbird?

 
Comments Off on Who named the Speedbird?
Speedbird I

My most read watch review is that of the Timefactors Speedbird I. Without fail, it gets read more than any other review I have written. Looking back at when the Speedbird was released, those days were truly exciting as there just weren’t many smaller brands out there. The Speedbird was pre Bill Yao and MKII Watches, pre Dievas, Deep Blue, Ocean 7, Yobokies et al.  Microbrands now proliferate across the internet and all offer the watch enthusiast a real alternative to the High Street brands … Continue reading →

Samsung Galaxy Gear is here…nearly

 
Comments Off on Samsung Galaxy Gear is here…nearly
Samsung Galaxy Gear...nearly here - click pic...

There are plenty of so called ‘smart’ watches about – well, watches which purport to be so. Look on eBay and it is easy to pick up cheapish mobile phone watches replete with a plethora of functions: camera, mp3 player, bluetooth…and the list goes on.  However, most of these have thus far been cheerful as well as cheap. Sony have given us the Smartwatch and are now on their second attempt (Sony SmartWatch 2), then of course there is the Pebble Smart Watch – a … Continue reading →

New release from Westcoastime

 
Comments Off on New release from Westcoastime
New WCT 1000m - click pic...

Just been informed of a new version of the WCT 1000m Diver from Westcoastime (which I have previously reviewed).  The ‘new’ in this case (literally) is a thorough beadblasting of the case. The bracelet remains brushed but I think that the new finish suits the watch head better –  and it would look great on a NATO or Zulu.  There’s a bit of a sale on over at Westcoastime at the moment so I think the watch is worth a look.  Be advised that this … Continue reading →

An ancient post of mine on Timezone

 
Comments Off on An ancient post of mine on Timezone

I’ve never been an avid poster on the various watch fora, but having met George Daniels one night in the local pub of all places I was quite excited; I originally posted the following (quite twee!) report on August 5th 2001 on the old Timezone: “Quite by chance on Saturday evening I was lucky enough to be introduced to none other than George Daniels of co-axial escapement fame. Mr Daniels was in Gloucestershire (UK) attending a large classic car rally. A friend of mine is … Continue reading →