Romain Jerome Steampunk Chrono Watch

I yelled at someone today for not appreciating the work of a famous artist. A pretty talented artist that if you know anything about art, you'd appreciate their work. I felt bad after yelling at the person's simple ignorance. They thought the painting was ugly, and maybe it was to them, but that didn't make it bad art. I just shook my head grinning to myself while saying quietly, "the notions of uncultured minds." I had a little bit of a snob moment. Or maybe it was just that I didn't like how someone wasn't able to recognize talent or skill, regardless of the outcome of that talent or skill. The natural next thought was to remind myself that appreciation of talent and skill is a learned trait. I then got back to thinking about watches.

Early in 2012, I first set my hands on a new Romain Jerome Steampunk Chrono and instantly started to like it... much more than the "Steampunk" watch that came before it. I really fell in love with the little spinning ship propeller on the dial. It was connected to a hidden rotor and a multiplier gear that made it spin quickly when you moved your hand around. This fun feature is purely non-functional and for amusement. Which in a way is a good manner of describing a lot of what Romain Jerome does. The best way to see the brand is like a toy maker for rich adults with a slightly dark sense of humor. That, and the brand's design ethos is sort of anti-luxury using luxury materials with a distinct generation X twist. That, and it is potentially difficult to even understand if the world of watches is new or foreign to you.



I sit here playing with a $30,000 plus toy in my hands which only a select part of the population can even understand. Romain Jerome is a sort of boutique brand with a loud voice. Producing only limited editions, they make totally strange watches that sort of say "fuck you" to a normal suit and tie person and require the wearer to decide "how will I pull this watch off today?" When I look at the majority of RJ watches, the first thing I notice is that none of them were meant to go with any ordinary outfits. This sort of forces the people who wear them to "fit the role," carefully deciding how to carry themselves on any day they'd like to wear an RJ. It is a big responsibility. Just look at this thing. A 50mm wide gold and rusted steel monster with a steampunk theme. How do you pull that off on a normal day?

Part of the fun is in trying to pull it off. Seeing what the watch goes with, and what situations go with the watch. It is more a wearable, usable piece of art and sculpture than it is a tool. And this watch comes from one of the mothers of all controversial weird watch collections. That being the Romain Jerome Titanic DNA watch that I previously reviewed here. Metal taken from the actual sunken Titanic is used in the formulation of the metal bezel which is artificially oxidized under water to create the rusted look. RJ is actually shy about mentioning this detail which caused them everything from fame to shame. But right there on the rear of the watch it says "Made with Parts of the Titanic." A message sitting over a 'soft to the touch' and beautifully rendered image of a propeller in titanium. RJ does not skimp the detailing. In my experience, they use some of the best suppliers meaning that each part is very well-rendered and removes any and all notions that the watches are cheap. They aren't of course cheap, but it usually requires years of handling many different watches to get a feel for these things.






As I mentioned, the case of this Steampunk Chrono is 50mm wide. That is pretty big, even by RJ standards. It is large and heavy. Having said that, it totally rocks. The assortment of materials and details actually make it look a bit smaller than it is. Everything is thick and wide, which really helps it from looking "massive." The case is made from 18k red gold, titanium, PVD black steel, and of course the oxidized steel bezel. Oddly, this version has black chronograph pushers while some pictured versions have gold chronograph pushers. Just one of those things I suppose... Attached to the case is a rubber strap with a gold, steel and titanium deployant clasp. While I like the rubber, I'd really like to see the watch on a shiny alligator strap as well.

I am not going to delve much into the case design details as most are not new and anyone familiar with RJ products will recognize them. The claws on the bezel continue to look cool. Those not interested in a watch like this in gold have the option of a few other versions in titanium and steel. Despite the hefty size of the watch, it is actually rather comfortable. On the wrist it does sort of sway from side to side like the actual Titanic, but not in an overly disagreeable manner. Just don't consider it as a great watch for sport activities.






The dial of the Steampunk Chrono holds much of the magic. The Steampunk collection was RJ's not-so-subtle statement to high-end steampunk aesthetic enthusiasts that "we have got the watch for you." While the watch does not completely fit the mold of what steampunk accessories should be, it does take the concept and keeps it rather close to the heart. Ditch the rubber strap for something leather and worn... and you'd get a bit closer to true steampunkery. Amusingly, you get many forms of metal finishing on the dial. There is perlage polishing, satin, and brushed finishes, mirror polishing on the many screw heads, and the "rough brushing" as I call it on the 12 o'clock hour indicator and parts of the gold propeller.

In a unique design move, Romain Jerome decided to keep the subdials very standard looking. As though they are vintage gauges taken from some machine... and then miniaturized. This not only gives the watch a very usable 30 minute chronograph (and subsidiary seconds dial), but also adds to the thematic charm. There is in fact, a bit of lume in the tips of the hands. The dial also has the most subtle amount of skeletonization with peeks at parts of the movement. You are either very much taken or put off by the dial. It is a design which is for sure polarizing, but people who like it will certainly enjoy playing with their toy.






Inside the Romain Jerome Steampunk Chrono is a Swiss made caliber RJ001-CS automatic chronograph movement which I believe was done for RJ by Concepto. It has a custom Romain Jerome automatic rotor as well and 42 hours of power reserve. The watch is wild and "crazy," which is a term I find that the Swiss like to use quite a bit when discussing their own ideas which don't fit within Swiss conservatism. I am beginning to believe that many Swiss people who participate in the production of wild designs such as this might actually think they are crazy, rather than just creative.

Returning to the original idea in this watch review article, I find myself being in the position as a well-educated watch lover reviewing a rather niche product with an appeal which is intentionally not mainstream. Those uninitiated in the "ways of the watch" can easily dismiss or love watches like this for all the wrong reasons. One of the ways I personally define "art" is to describe it as something that while I may or may not find it aesthetically appealing is something that required a degree of imagination and skill to create. I say all this in anticipation of the people who just don't "get" what the Steampunk Chrono is all about. But I will remind you that it is in fact crazy, you just might need a lot of the right type of education to know why. If you haven't learned yet then I'll get back to playing with this toy like it was some guilty pleasure. The Romain Jerome Steampunk Chrono is limited to 2,012 pieces per model and this ref. RJ.T.CH.SP.003.01 model has a retail price of $32,400.

Christopher Ward C900 Watch Review

This is the Christopher Ward C900SWKR, and it's a new high-water mark for a company I've long liked. Let me tell you about it, because it's an unusually good story.

CW started out with classic looks (the Malvern) and has steadily worked to define its style and expand the product line. Beginning with the C9 jumping hour, they've begun making custom movements based on ETA base movements. The C900 is a very rare complication, a mono pusher chronograph, based on the Unitas/ETA 6497 and is a collaboration between industry veteran Jean Fillion and newcomer Johannes Jahnke. A mono pusher is a clever idea that lets you have a chronograph in a normal-appearing case: the crown serves multiple roles. In addition to wind and set, it's also a pushbutton for stop/stop/reset on the 30 minute chronograph.



The result is a less sporty, more elegant look that is reminiscent of Cartier or perhaps Longines. Let's have a look:



You'll see variations of that Y-shaped bridge in most chronographs. Off in the lower left is the column wheel, all nicely made and finished. Good anglage and brushing here. This watch is the CW prototype, thus the zero serial number.



The chronograph is added to the back of the movement and adds several millimeters in height. It makes for strong shadows and great visual depth.



This is a watch that's all about the movement, so I'm glad they have a full-width view back. Note the swan's neck fine regulator and lack of wire springs: this is emphatically not a cheap movement in design or execution. Ditto the column wheel - the more expensive solution for chronograph coordination, it's quite difficult to manufacture.

The 6497 was originally designed in the 1960s as a pocketwatch movement and became popular with the advent of larger sport watches, in particular Panerai. It's robust, easy to repair and often used in training watchmakers. The big canvas it provides also makes for a large watch; you can see that there's not a lot of extra width in the case but it still comes in at 43.1mm by 15.9mm at the top of the domed crystal. Lug to lug it's 51.5mm, and weighs in at 106g. The crystal and dial are about 40mm across, making for a watch that is quite bold on the wrist:



As with the C11, case finishing is just superb, reminding me strongly of the GO diver:





That also shows the nicely made signed crown (7.85mm) and double deployant clasp. The strap is genuine alligator, available in black or brown. Lugs are 20mm, so lots of strap options. The brushed middle section is really wonderful, I quite like it and the quality of the finish is excellent.



The crystal is domed sapphire, which you expect at this price point.



On the wrist it's a mixed bag. I love love love the clean dial and elegant Roman numerals at six and twelve, but the height is excessive for a dress watch.



CW did a good job of making it livable via the rounded profile, but it's thick. On the plus side, it'll get noticed, and then you can show them that dazzling movement.



Sure is nice to look at though.



The hour and minute hands are super thin and a bit hard to see. I like the color contrast between them and the chronograph hands, but the legibility suffers a bit as a result. No lume, purely a dress watch design.

The box and presentation are vey nice:


Handwinding is one of the pleasures of being a watch person. Nice and smooth, with the definite stop characteristic of a pocketwatch. Similarly, the monopusher is smooth and definite, with hands snapping back to zero. The symmetric dial design is impeccable, and that awesome monopusher kinda lets you sneak a sport watch into a dress watch design. Hold it up to your ear for trip back in time; nice loud and slow tick-tock. Very tactile.

The C900, which merits its own backstory page, is a limited run of 250. I expect that Christopher Ward is ramping up their movement expertise and adding these high-end LE models to simultaneously boost the prestige of the brand. As such, it's kind of an impractical watch for daily wear unless you like 'em tall or really want a monopusher in your collection.

The list price on the Christopher Ward C900 is £2,450, or £2,041 non-EC without the VAT. For that you get a Swiss-made mono pusher, personally assembled by Johannes Jahnke. In other words, it's a screaming deal indeed. I'd surely love to open that box on Christmas!

Girard-Perregaux Chrono Hawk Watch

We recently took a hands-on look at the new and updated Girard-Perregax Sea Hawk watches. While that was a refresh of an existing model this new Chrono Hawk is something totally new. Well, sort of. Girard-Perregaux was once quite strong in sport watches, but seemed to focus more on classic-style watches the last few years. A new emphasis on Western markets such as Europe and the US has led them to once again focus on sport watches, which have typically been great with their name on it. With collections such as the famed Laureato no longer being made, the "Hawk" watches will be the brand's new sporty bread and butter. You can once again read where we debuted the new Girard-Perregaux Chrono Hawk & Sea Hawk watches here on aBlogtoWatch.

Instead of embed my interview with Girard-Perregaux CEO Mr. Sofisti again, I will simply link to it here on the aBlogtoWatch YouTube channel. There you can see some video of the Chrono Hawk watches and listen to more details about them from the brand. While technically a large sport watch, these chronographs are much more congenial in their feel when compared to the Sea Hawk. While they have quite similar cases a technical difference between the two is that the Chrono Hawk is water resistant to 100 meters and the Sea Hawk is water resistant to 1,000 meters. A difference that will mean next to nothing for most of you.









The Girard-Perregaux Chrono Hawk is 44mm wide in an angular steel case that also mixes cues from the older Laureato models as well as the former generation Sea Hawk. However, there are some new things as well. First are the case curved chronograph pushers that remind me a lot of the new pushers on Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph models. There is the black rubber ring between the case and bezel, as well as black rubber trim throughout.

Unlike the rotating diver's bezel of the Sea Hawk, the Chrono Hawk as a smooth brushed steel bezel. I have to say that I really like that Girard-Perregaux decided against putting a tachymeter in the design somewhere. A lot of sport watches do this and I am really happy to see that they resisted. Though the back of the watch you can see the movement and neat looking new automatic rotor design.





While the dial is heavy of decor and style, it is minimalist when it comes to features, especially for the chronograph. Just a very straight forward 30 minute chronograph with an adjacent subsidiary seconds dial. The stretched honeycomb texture on the dial is the same as on the Sea Hawk. Girard-Perregaux will offer the Chrono Hawk dial in both a silvered and gray color. Orange colored accents mark the chronograph hands.

The dial, especially flange ring, aren't nearly as dramatic as those on the Sea Hawk. I personally prefer the Sea Hawk but a lot of people I have spoken with prefer the Chrono Hawk. I am however a fan of the piece's high legibility as well as symmetrical dial design. It doesn't necessarily feel very classically "GP," but then again no one said it should. I will reiterate my feelings about the design of the 44mm wide case. It is overall interesting and most certainly sporty, but with very long lugs it simply doesn't site well on smaller or even medium wrists.





Girard-Perregaux was very excited to discuss a new upcoming in-house made integrated chronograph movement for larger watches. Right now they simply don't have one of those. While it is true that Girard-Perregaux is a stellar movement maker, the Chrono Hawk has movement which is sort of half GP, and half not. Girard-Perregaux marks the movement in Chrono Hawk as the GP3300. That is simply their base automatic movement. The Chrono Hawk's movement gets a chronograph model made from the wonderful movement module maker Dubois-Depraz. I have nothing bad to say about their stuff as they make modules and parts for most all of the world's best Swiss watch brands.

For me a chronograph is a more complex tool watch meant for measuring sports rather than engaging in them. The Sea Hawk wins out in terms of looking like it can survive anything. Gentlemen will however likely gravitate more toward the new Chrono Hawk. It is by no means a "formal dress" watch, but it is more elegant in its stance and persona. Attached to the Chrono Hawk is rubber mixed with leather strap in two colors. Look for these soon and more Girard-Perregaux sport watches to come in the future.

Girard-Perregaux “New” Sea Hawk Watch

Recently we debuted the new Girard-Perregaux Sea Hawk and Chrono Hawk watches (here). Very soon after I got a chance to get some hands-on love with the new collection. While I debuted the new models in a single article, they are really distinct watches. Therefore we felt it was best to isolate each of these new Girard-Perregaux sport watches in a single post.

People are split on which pieces they favor. Some people like the diving Sea Hawk more, while others (who tend to be more into classic watches) like the Chrono Hawk collection better. I probably fall into the first category. Don't get me wrong, I really like a good chronograph, but I like a hardy diver even better. The "new" Sea Hawk is an evolution versus a revolution over the previous models. Like I said in the debut article, Girard-Perregaux designed the watch to merge the old Sea Hawk model with the Laureto collection from an aesthetic standpoint.






The result is a modern looking diver with a rather recognizable amount of Girard-Perregaux DNA. Unfortunately, the world of high-end sport watches has become extremely homogenized in some regards. That means that looking at this watch will inevitably remind you of many other of today's big luxury brand divers and other sport models. The Sea Hawk starts with two dial colors in 44mm wide brushed steel cases. The cases look pretty good, and give the watch a very modern, tool-like feel. You certainly feel like you want to go diving with these one.

On the back of the case is an attractive engraving of a fish that looks like it mated with the Lorax. It is sitting on a anchor that Poseidon invented. The more antique looking of the engraving is a good mix with the modern elements of the case and dial to remind you about the brand's history. The case is water resistant to 100 meters. One issue that exists with the case design is that the lugs are very long. This is not an issue if you have thick wrists, but people like me will wear the Sea Hawk with the lugs sticking off your wrist. That tends to not be "best practice" when matching a watch size to your wrist. The rubber strap is all attached in a way to extend more outwards than down. So consider this a watch for the thick-wristed.






You'll notice that each of the dial versions has a different bezel. The black dial has a bezel with vulcanized rubber, while the white dial is sans rubber on the bezel. Like the Sea Hawk of old the crown is located as 4 o'clock and has a crown guards. The older models has a seamless transition between the lug as it turned into the crown guard. This model set of models has a more distinct separation. At least one person said it look like the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars was trying to fly out of the side of the case. While this look isn't bad I did sort of prefer the previous model's crown guard style - though it made for a less complicated case design.

The crown is coated in rubber and easy to grip. There is further a rubberized octagonal ring under the bezel which is a nod to the design of the Laureato case design. Because the new Sea Hawk watches have the same movement as the outgoing Sea Hawk models the dial layouts are exactly the same. The movements are modular with a base Girard-Perregaux made GP3300 automatic. The module creates the layout with the subsidiary seconds dial, power reserve indicator, and date. The dial is deep looking and rich for the most part. On the plus side the hands and raised hour numerals have an excellent amount of luminant on them. The hands are also all very easy to read. However, I am not sure how thrilled I am with the honeycomb style texture on the dial.


There is one more version of the Sea Hawk that is not mentioned here - that was in the debut. That is the limited edition of 10 pieces Foreverglades version. Being so limited (and all sold out), it isn't worth discussing much. However, one thing it had that I liked was a non-orange minute hand. I like the tool like approach of the orange hand, but find that a non-orange hand is much more stylish and practical for most of the time. I hope that later versions of the Girard-Perregaux Sea Hawk consider having hands like the Foreverglades version did.

Girard-Perregaux will have to find its special niche for this watch given that the market for $10,000 plus sport dive watches is very crowded. While it s a good watch, Girard-Perregaux has the very real task of telling people why the Sea Hawks are a better buy compared to things like the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Compressor line, Blancpain 50 Fathoms, Rolex Deep Sea, and others. It is a tough, but very rewarding segment with a large market. Look out for more sport watch focus from the brand in the years to come. Price for the Girard-Perregaux Sea Hawk watches is $11,350.

Edmond Booster Watch Review

Last year we brought you a review of the quirky and unique Edmond Pole Guardian watch. A few extra gears on the dial made for a very special look that offered visual thrills and a great way of having an AM/PM indicator. Now we review something more simple and straight-forward, but also really well priced.

This is the Edmond Booster watch. Let's just put it out there right now, Edmond doesn't craft watch names as well as they do designs. In addition to names like "Pole Guardian, Booster, and Cap Horn," the models in each of the collections share a lot of design elements so it is difficult to know what collection they might be in. I think what really separates the collections is the watch bezel versus even the dial. The quirkiness of the watch industry never ceases to amaze me.






I chose to review this model because I liked the dial design. The textured face and applied hour indicators give it a ritzier feel than the price might suggest. It is also legible with a nice modern aesthetic. One issue with the dial is luminant. There are four dots of lume on the dial's flange ring where the minute indicators are. That's it. No lume on the hands even. This could have been remedied by having luminant in the open strips on the hands, but alas they are open and skeletonized. Frankly, the watch probably looks better this way, but you'll need to use the light on your phone to read this watch in the dark (if you can even wrap your mind around the irony of that statement).

The case is a sort of mish-mash of Panerai and diver watch aesthetics, but is really neither. While the watch case is water resistant to 200 meters, the bezel does not rotate, nor is there luminant for diving. Having said that, the piece is durable, and the 44mm wide steel case with black coating is very sporty in appearance. Over the dial is a sapphire crystal and the case is 15mm thick. It wears a bit large, but with the steeply curved lugs, the watch is quite comfortable.






You can't miss the Edmond "Lock-ED" crown protection system that is of course a nod to the famous crown lock on Panerai watches. While not a copy, this system works the same way. A small lever is used to pull the crown out for winding, date setting, and time setting. When locked, the crown will not turn. It is a neat alternative to screw-down crowns and adds a welcome layer of uniqueness to the Booster watch design.

In black on the new steel bracelet Edmond watches look their best. The bracelet option is a relatively new addition to the collection and in my opinion they match with the case designs better than the rubber straps. It is difficult to explain in words the design of the bracelets, but they uses alternating "H" links. The bracelet links are soft to the touch and it uses a butterfly-style deployant.






Inside the Edmond Booster is a Swiss ETA 2824-2 automatic movement. The price of the watch is really fair given the market value of ETA movements alone (outside of Swatch Group brands). The automatic movement is visible through the sapphire caseback window and it has a custom Edmond rotor.

There honestly isn't a huge amount to say about these timepieces that isn't communicated through the images. This specific model is the Edmond Booster ref. BO-BB-A04-M, and it is a well-priced Swiss sport watch with some quirks and character. Other models have dials with more luminant by the way. Price is 1,010 Swiss Francs and you can buy one via the Edmond website.

Necessary Data
>Brand: Edmond
>Model: Booster
>Price: 1,010 Swiss Francs
>Would reviewer personally wear it: Yes
>Friend we'd recommend it to first: Younger guy with a relaxed attitude who doesn't wear a suit or tie on a regular basis and has no desire to adorn himself with name brands.
>Worst characteristic of watch: Lack of useful lume on the dial.
>Best characteristic of watch: Truly unique look and reasonable price, along with a sense of welcome familiarity to big brand watch designs.