Jay Z takes over Barneys
Rapper Jay Z in another fashion first
Mistakes are a Part of Learning
It’s happened to the best of us!
It didn’t take me too long to do something dumb. The mistake occurred while I was working on relubricating the mainspring. The disassembly went well however I ran into issues when I went to rewind it. It was late and I was tired and wasn’t paying attention to what I was doing. That led me to winding the spring backwards which, in turn, led to the mess you see here. I was able to wind it back correctly however the spring is a bit deformed. Unfortunately I won’t know what the performance is like until I get the movement assembled.
The other bit of bad news is that I’m having difficulty sourcing a replacement mainspring in case my rebuilt one doesn’t function. I may end up having to buy another watch just for parts. The cost isn’t too bad but I hate having to use a working watch just for…
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Unconventional Watches 101
Although most people carry mobile phones with clocks installed these days, the UK watch market is still huge. People seem to consider watches to be much more than timekeepers, often wearing them for their stylish accessory application rather than their original functionality. So if this applies to you, perhaps investing in a watch that stands apart from the crowd is a good idea.
This guide will fill you in on everything you need to know about some of the most popular unconventional watches on the UK market today. Hopefully you’ll find something that suits your needs.
Diamond Fiction By Tag Heuer
The coolest watch on this list by far, Diamond Fiction will set you back a few thousand pounds, but boy is it worth it. Created for ladies, and with an elegant and stylish design that includes nearly 900 1.1 mm diamonds, you’ll definitely be hard pushed to find anything as eye catching or desirable without spending millions. With 54 LED lights that shine through the diamonds to tell you the time, we’re yet to see anything else quite as impressive.
Although you can get this watch from specialist high street retailers, some online watch shops offer much more attractive deals for this model and other similar products.
No Face DZ9044 By Diesel
For those who prefer a more simplistic design, you can’t go far wrong with the No Face DZ9044 by respected designer brand Diesel. At a price of around £320 in most stores, it’s both affordable and aesthetically pleasing. Although it’s called “No Face”, in reality this only refers to the top plate. The watch actually features two faces; it’s just that they’re hidden away on the side. No-one can argue that this design is seriously cool, and as a novelty item, we strongly advise you to consider it.
BoomBox By Flud
If you haven’t got a lot of money to spend, but you’re really looking for something to make your friends jealous, maybe you should take a look at the BoomBox by Flud. This watch is designed to look like a classic 1980’s boombox and would be perfect for oldskool ravers and hip hop fans. For around £90, we think it’s pretty impressive. The cheap price is certainly not reflected in the quality or styling.
Gravity By Ziiiro
With a totally unique design and a rather stunning way of telling the time, the new Gravity watch by Ziiiro is proving incredibly popular this year with both males and females. At a very reasonable price of around £140, it’s easy to see why so many fashion conscious individuals have been snapping them up. If you’re looking for something that’s both functional and stylish, this watch will not disappoint – and you can quote me on that!
So there you have it my accessory loving friends. A quick and simple guide to some of the coolest unconventional watches available to you today. Just a quick tip for the future; look out for the new Orbo by Zach Weiss. When it’s finally released and brought to market, this watch could revolutionise everything. Remember I told you that.
Have fun shopping!
Short On Time: A Brief History Of The Wrist Watch
Nowadays, a watch isn’t just a device used to tell us the time of day. A watch is an accessory that shows off our own personality, style, and can even tell us a bit about somebody’s wealth. Many of us could get by without a watch. Our phones tell the time, the TV tells us the time, and yet the majority of us still choose to wear a watch. It’s understandable though, as a watch can really help to finish off an outfit! There are plenty of high end brand watches too, such as Rolex, Frank Muller and Patek Philippe. If you were to walk into any office boardroom you’d be likely to see plenty of big brand watches! But this hasn’t always been the case, believe it or not. Here’s a brief history of the wrist watch:
Would you believe that around 100 years ago, no gentlemen that respected himself would have ever worn a wrist watch? Back then, the “real” men had pocket watches, with the most popular pocket watch being a gold half-hunter.
Wrist watches back then were referred to as “wristlets”, and strictly reserved for women. They definitely weren’t considered a serious timepiece, but more of a passing fashion statement that would soon be over. Many gentlemen even said they would rather wear a skirt than be caught dead in a wrist watch! Even the watch making community looked down on “wristlets”, believing that because of their size they couldn’t be accurate or handle day to day life on a wrist.
The 19th century is when opinions on wrist watches began to change, as men in the war realised just how useful they were. Pocket watches were hard to carry and not suitable for use in combat, so wrist watches were the preferred option. An testimonial made by a war captain made in 1900 even appeared in the Goldsmith’s Company Watch and Clock Catalog. It said “I wore it continually on my wrist in Africa for 3 ½ months. It kept most excellent time, and never failed me”. Finally, the opinions of wrist watches were changing! However, it was mainly only soldiers in the army who regarded wrist watches this way. It took 2 more decades for the idea that wrist watches were only for women to disappear, and they were now considered a necessity, especially in wartime. No one would dare think wrist watches were feminine when such brave men had begun wearing them!
Rolex introduced the first real waterproof wrist watch in 1926, called the Oyster. Since then watches have come leaps and bounds, and the wrist watches of the present day are designed to be resistant to all sorts of things. There are sports watches for sportsmen (and women), business watches for business men and women, fancy watches for special occasions and even smart watches, designed by the same companies that produce smart phones.
There’s literally a watch style to suit everybody, we may not need them as a necessity for telling the time anymore, but a good watch is a must have when it comes to showing off your style!
What Does Your Watch Say About You?
Over the years, watches have become less of a tool to tell the time and more of a fashion accessory. A persons watch can reveal a lot about them, and it has done for many a century. A watch can reveal a lot about a persons style and personality, more so than any other accessory! Want to know what your watch says about you? Read on to find out!
Timex Watch
This kind of watch suggests you’re practical and no nonsense. It’s almost a fashion statement that doesn’t mean to be. You know that by saving money on a cheaper watch, you can put it towards more important things, like insurance or mortgage payments.
Sports Watch
A sports watch tells the world that you’re a competitive type. You give the impression that you could be going on a monster run, swim or bike ride at any given moment. Wearing a sports watch is perfect for the physical types who like to train mean. If you’re looking to give off a competitive “I’m a fantastic sportsman” air, don’t hesitate to wear a sports watch.
Watches With Wide Bands
These types of watches show the world that you care about style. Watches with wide bands are fashionable and cool, therefore if you wear one you’ll be considered fashionable and cool. You aren’t scared to make a statement with your watch and more than likely aren’t scared to do so in any other areas of your life either. If this is what you’d like your watch to say about you, get one with a wide band.
Leather Band Swiss Watches
This watch tells all who see it adorning your wrist that you’re the sophisticated type. It looks as if you’ve chosen to go for the “understated” look. While you could have easily chosen something much flashier, you chose to tone it down with your sleek leather band swiss watch.
Rolex Watch
A Rolex screams out “success!”. All successful business/sales people have to own a Rolex, it’s the law. The Rolex tells the world you’re good at what you do, and you are good enough at it to be able to afford expensive fashion accessories. People will gawp at your wrist in awe when wearing a Rolex, so it’s a desirable watch for anybody to own. Whatever you do, don’t even think about purchasing a fake Rolex. Fake Rolexes can be spotted by someone who knows their stuff and it will make you look like a loser. Don’t do it!
I Don’t Wear A Watch
Don’t wear a watch? You’re telling people, “I’m pretty natural. Who needs a watch to tell the time? We have mobile phones with clocks on them!” While this is true, you may also be unwillingly telling people “I’m too poor to afford any kind of watch. Even a fake Rolex”. Now that’s low…did you know you can buy watches online? I would if I were you!
Go on, use your watch to make a statement and tell the world something about yourself!
Apple iWatch: Would You Wear One?
The “Apple” brand is absolutely huge today. It’s one of the largest, most successful technology companies in the world, and offers a wide range of devices such as the iPhone, iPad, iPod, iMac and Macbook. Rumours on the web recently state that the next big invention that Apple are working on is a watch. Here we talk about the “iWatch” as Apple have named it (this has been confirmed by sources who say they are attempting to trademark the name in many countries), and suspected release date and specifications!
The Rumours
Rumour has it that these iWatches aren’t going to be your run of the mill wrist watch. But anybody could have guessed that! These watches are rumoured to be built like mini computers with full OS, wearable and sleek. Watch analysts who heard this news, stated that the computing iWatch should near half a billion unit sales a year. By the year 2018, wearing a fully computing watch is expected to be the norm all over the world.
A question many people are asking is whether or not the iWatch is likely to work in harmony with other Apple devices such as the iPhone. Some people are even speculating whether an iWatch could be used as a wearable remote control for popular devices in the home. Just a wave of the wrist and you could skip a song/change channel/turn off the lights/open the garage?!
The New York times speculated on what the actual iWatch could be made from. They stated they think the iWatch will be made from a special type of glass called Willow Glass. This type of glass is apparently similar in consistency to “a piece of paper in the wind” however, it won’t be easy to break or damage. Willow glass is known for being very thin, very strong and very flexible.
Technology websites are all in agreement that the new smartwatch will support Bluetooth, and therefore be compatible with other device such as the iPad, iPod and iPhone.
Does anybody remember those “snap bands” from days at primary school? A “snap band” was a sort of bracelet you would just hit on your wrist and it would “snap” into a curled position, secure on your wrist. Apple has recently patented this kind of technology, and it’s said that this will communicate with the watches face which will then enable you to use some of the watches features. These features include a power saving mode that is enabled much faster when in the curled position.
The size of the watch is still a total mystery, but tech websites are telling us to expect a 1.5 inch touch screen face. It is expected that the watch will also be water proof!
Release Date
There were rumours flying around that the iWatch would be released anytime now in 2013, and some rumours stating that the end of the year would be the release. However it seems we’ll have to wait a bit longer, many websites and rumours now state that the iWatch may not be with us until the first quarter of 2014.
Will you be waiting for it?
Watches That Can Do A Hell Of A Lot More Than Tell The Time!
When someone asks you what the definition of a watch is, you will most probably reply back to them and say to them that a watch is something that tells the time. Whilst this is true of most watches, there are a few special watches that do just more than tell us the time.
Take a look at these examples of watches that do a hell of alot more than just tell the time!
Phosphor Touch Time Digital Watch
Crowdfunding money helped to spawn this amazing Phosphor Touch Time watch. It was created with the vision of revolutionising the digital wristwatch market.
This very futuristic touchscreen watch (yes, it’s touchscreen!) feels more like a smartphone than a watch with a number of “apps” built into it such as an astrological app, an alarm, a stopwatch, a reminder app, a world time app, a calendar, and a calculator. It is available with a different number of watchband styles to suit all tastes.
Sony SmartWatch 2 SW2
For people that own an Android smartphone, then the Sony SmartWatch 2 SW2 is for you. It offers you new and unique ways to live and communicate by interacting with your smartphone over a Bluetooth link, and letting you find out what’s going on in your life.
This watch lets you check your text messages, emails, calendar, smartphone call log, and keep up-to-date with the latest news from the world of Facebook and Twitter. When you get a notification on your watch, you simply tap the app icon to read it, and if you use a Bluetooth headset paired up with your smartphone, you can even see who is calling you on your watch!
Maplin Spy Camera Watch
If you are a wannabe spy, or perhaps you want to record some audio and video footage when you are out and about somewhere but do not wish to carry around a bulky video recorder with you, then you need to get yourself a spy camera watch!
The 4 GB capacity memory is able to record up to 115 minutes of audio and video without arousing suspicion. It uses a lithium polymer battery, and has a mini USB port for the ability to transfer your recordings onto a computer. Oh, and of course it can tell the time too!
It goes without saying though, that you should not be recording anyone or anything without their permission unless you are in a public place.
USB Drive Watch
This USB drive watch is definitely one for people wishing to satisfy their inner nerd! The face of the watch is a simple monochrome LCD screen which tells you the time and date, and it is set into a plastic case that is connected with an actual ribbon cable to a nano USB drive!
There is actually quite a few different styles of USB drive watch on the market these days, so they are definitely a popular purchase. Now you don’t need a separate watch and USB drive, as you can combine the two (and it’s good for security purposes too)!
7 of the Worlds Most Expensive Watches
With the economy in the state that it is these days, it can sometimes be hard to find much to be happy about. Many people are having to tighten their belts due to the increasing costs of living, and many of life’s little luxuries are usually just a pipe dream for a lot of people.
But never mind, we can still dream, do some Internet window shopping and look at all sorts of cool and expensive stuff to take our minds away from the harsh realities of life! On that note, check out 7 of the world’s most expensive watches!
7. £204,000 – IWC Portuguese Grande Complication
IWC’s Portuguese Grande Complication is the cheapest of these expensive watches, but this by no means is a cheap quality watch! It has a perpetual calendar which is mechanically programmed to work until the year 2499 (although I don’t think the proud owner of this watch will be around that long to enjoy it!), a perpetual moon phase display and a chronograph.
6. £369,000 – Greubel Forsey Double Tourbillon Technique
The Greubel Forsey Double Tourbillon Technique is made with 18-carat gold and sapphire crystals.
The centrepiece is the Double Tourbillon 30 degree mechanism, coupled with other technical developments such as the four fast-rotating co-axial barrels, which are linked up to a visible spherical differential which drives the power reserve indicator.
5. £501,000 – Patek Philippe 5016P
The Patek Philippe 5016P has over 506 minuscule parts encased in a platinum case. A highly detailed horological masterpiece, it features a tourbillon, a minute repeater, a perpetual calendar with a retrograde date hand, and a moon phase display.
4. £641,000 – Hublot Big Bang Black Caviar
The Hublot Big Bang Black Caviar watch is the fourth most expensive watch in this roundup. This stunning watch is made from ceramic, and its 18-carat white gold case is set with a mouthwatering 322 diamond baguettes which equate to just over 24 carats. This watch’s bezel is also made from 18-carat white gold, and again set with 322 diamond baguettes. Finally, the dial is set with 179 baguette diamonds equalling 6.4 carats.
3. £2,130,000 – Piaget Emperador Watch
The Piaget Emperador watch boasts a case set in 18-carat white gold complete with 171 brilliant-cut diamonds which total 2.1 carats, and a dial which is set with 389 brilliant-cut diamonds (1.1 carats). Even the watch band is set with 569 brilliant-cut diamonds totalling 18 carats!
2. £3,880,000 – Patek Philippe Calibre 89
Swiss watch manufacturer Patek Philippe & Co. created the Calibre 89 timepiece to celebrate their 150th anniversary in business. This timepiece weighs 1.1 kilograms, comprises 24 hands and a total of 1,728 components. This complicated piece of luxury also features a thermometer and a star chart. It is made with 18-carat solid gold.
1. £16,400,000 – Chopard Haute Joaillerie
The world’s most expensive watch, the Chopard Haute Joaillerie, is worth a cool £16,400,000! It has:
- 201 carats of pink, blue, and white diamonds;
- a 15-carat heart-shaped pink diamond;
- a 12-carat heart-shaped blue diamond;
- an 11-carat heart-shaped white diamond;
- a 163-carat bracelet with white and yellow pear-shaped diamonds!
Creative Watches 