Reviews Archives - Page 2 of 3

11May

By vinnievandyk2 Comments

Reviews

LONG TERM REVIEW: SEIKO SRPD97J1

It's been a while since my last watch review and so, it is my pleasure to bring to you a long term summary of the Seiko SRPD97J1. This piece comes under a slew of nicknames, baby blizzard, baby GS, zen garden and there is good reason for it. Hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did bringing this to you! What's New? The watch in question was released in November 2019 without as much as a whimper in classic Seiko style. This Presage piece was the first model to reveal the brand's intention to implement updates to their core model lines. So what's different about this particular piece? While the venerable 4R35 movement remains, a sapphire crystal replaces Hardlex and we are met with an entirely new case design. Leaving a footprint (or wrist-print?) of 38.5mm across, 11.2mm thick...

11May

By vinnievandykNo Comments

Reviews

LET’S TALK STRAPS – DELUGS STRAPS

Welcome back to another instalment of Let's Talk Straps. In this episode, we dive into the brand that is Delugs straps and review 3 leather accessories that were graciously provided to us. Having seen some outstanding photos of their products, I was more than excited to receive these straps and pair them amongst my watch collection. Delugs is a brand based in Singapore which began as conventional leather crafters, producing a range of accessories such as wallets, belts, clutches, bags and the like. Delugs holds a philosophy that there is a major distinction in quality between their leather work and mass produced pieces, with a key focus on artisanal guile and attention to detail in whatever they create. So confident in their manufacture, Delugs offers a lifetime warranty for their strap...

11May

By vinnievandykNo Comments

Reviews

LET’S TALK STRAPS: VEBLENIST

Welcome back to another instalment of Let's Talk Straps! Join us as we take a look at Chicago based brand, Veblenist. Among a very broad selection of leather straps, Veblenist also offers accessories, storage options and even a few pre-owned watches. Their team was kind enough to provide two of their products for review. The Product I had the pleasure of taking the Dogwood Suede and Saddle Brown Calfskin straps in a box stitch and quick release spring bar configuration for a spin amongst my humble watch collection. Upon receiving Veblenist goods you will be presented with a cotton pouch and signed card from the team that is entirely pragmatic and foregoes any unnecessary packaging. The Saddle Brown Calfskin strap is the exact tone of brown that springs to my mind whenever I think of ...

LET’S TALK STRAPS: COLAREB NAPOLI & TORINO

11May

By vinnievandykNo Comments

Reviews

LET’S TALK STRAPS: COLAREB NAPOLI & TORINO

For this instalment of Let's Talk Straps, we have the Napoli and Torino straps from the Italian manufacture, Colareb. It's no secret that I am already a fan of Colareb's products, with the Venezia tobacco strap (for which you can read the review here) being my favourite strap on the market for under $100AUD. Colareb has recently released 5 new product lines and when given the opportunity to experience the new range for myself, I couldn't wait to get my hands on them. Colareb has always provided excellent value, with their hand crafted leather products rivalled by very few in this segment, will these straps compete at a slightly higher price point? Let's dig in! Colareb - Torino Beginning with the Torino strap, what we have here is candid, slim profiled black leather stra...

A WEEK ON THE WRIST – A. LANGE & SOHNE 1815 UP/DOWN

11May

By vinnievandykNo Comments

Reviews

A WEEK ON THE WRIST – A. LANGE & SOHNE 1815 UP/DOWN

hank you to Jean-Paul @jp_melbs for lending me this beautiful watch. Without your generosity this review would not have been possbile. Please visit JP's instagram for more incredible content of his A. Lange & Sohne 1815 Up/Down and other watches in his superb collection. A. Lange & Sohne was reintroduced to the watch word in 1994 after lying dorment since1948. A little known manufacture producing a small number of watches, Lange was a well kept secret in enthusiast circles, with those in the know recognising the exceptional level of wristwatches coming from the town of Glashutte. Fast forward to 2019 and Lange is the noisy neighbour of the Switzerland's holy trinity of watchmaking. To be comparable with the likes of Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet and Vacheron Constantin is qui...

A WEEK ON THE WRIST: VACHERON CONSTANTIN TRADITIONELLE

11May

By vinnievandyk1 Comment

Reviews

A WEEK ON THE WRIST: VACHERON CONSTANTIN TRADITIONELLE

A huge thank you to watchvault.com.au @the_watch_vault for lending me this watch to make this review possible. The most trusted destination for pre-owned watches and accessories, please make sure to visit the website! If you've found your way to this article, chances are you are quite familiar with the 'holy trinity' of watchmaking. While Patek... is well, Patek and AP go from success to success with their Royal Oak, Vacheron has yet to hit mainstream pop culture in the same way that the afformentioned manufactures have in recent times. Turns out, this is a great thing if you are in the market for a watch of the highest order and do not want to entertain absurd waiting lists or criminally high secondary market prices. Having only enjoyed high horology from behind the glass window of a ...

A WEEK ON THE WRIST – VINTAGE OMEGA SEAMASTER

11May

By vinnievandykNo Comments

Reviews

A WEEK ON THE WRIST – VINTAGE OMEGA SEAMASTER

Having never worn a vintage watch for an extended period of time, when given the chance to experience this Omega Seamaster from the 50's I was equal parts excited and curious. As a modern watch wearer, would this be the piece to convert me to the vintage craze that has taken many enthusiasts over? Omega's Seamaster has been a staple of the brand since its inception in 1948, with this iteration being a 14k gold capped, 35mm automatic from 1955/56. These earlier incarnations of the Seamaster are a distant relative to Omega's 300m professional dive watches of today, featuring simple dials and classic case design. Seamasters of this era can be found in a number of variations regarding dials, movements and metals. With seemingly endless versions of this watch, the reference 2767-3 I had th...

11May

By vinnievandykNo Comments

Reviews

COLAREB VENEZIA: TOBACCO

The ownership experience begins with the purchase of a watch, which is hopefully followed by an extensive honeymoon period where you adore your new timepiece. Having the watch on your wrist reinforces all the design traits that drew you to your latest acquisition, while discovering new and intricate characteristics that you would only notice after an extended period of wear. Once familiar with your timepiece and it's place in your collection, often a sense of curiosity rises as you the owner, want to enhance that ownership experience. One of the best ways to satisfy that hankering, is through a new strap. Regardless of what timepiece you may have, a new strap can transform the look and feel of your watch, at times giving you that new watch feeling all over again. With options abundant and ...

11May

By vinnievandykNo Comments

Reviews

VANGUARD RUBBER STRAPS FOR ROLEX & TUDOR

It is no secret that Rolex makes one of the best, if not the best sport watch bracelet in the business. Yet, as an enthusiast there is always an underlying curiosity of how your watch might look on a different strap. While NATO and leather are popular alternatives, it seems there has been an significant uptake in rubber straps across the entire industry. Kindly provided to me for review is the Vanguard rubber strap which exceeded my expectations from an aftermarket offering. The packaging is simple yet well executed, a bold red box containing the 2 piece vulcanised rubber strap and spring bars for my 214270 Explorer. Even before fitting, you become acquainted with how supple and tensile the rubber is, while retaining all the robustness associated with the material. The fit and finis...

A WEEK ON THE WRIST: OMEGA SPEEDMASTER 3590.50

11May

By vinnievandykNo Comments

Reviews

A WEEK ON THE WRIST: OMEGA SPEEDMASTER 3590.50

Few watches have true historical provenance of this calibre and arguably none greater than the watch I am writing about today. A timepiece that has been around since 1957, tethered to one of mankind’s greatest achievements; the Omega Speedmaster means so much to so many, this review is an important one. For those who love watches there will come a time where you have considered owning, currently own or have enjoyed ownership of a Speedmaster. Hopefully the ideas I share with you in this article can help you in each stage of your Speedmaster journey. Omega’s Speedmaster range has reached an abundance of variations with new colourways and limited editions being released at a consistent rate, but I am grateful to say that my first long term experience with a Moonwatch will be in it...