Editorial - Page 2 of 3

Let’s Talk Straps – Artisan Straps Review

3Oct

By vinnievandykNo Comments

Reviews

Let’s Talk Straps – Artisan Straps Review

Before we get started in this review, let me begin by saying I paid for these straps with my own money. All the thoughts I share in this article are independent without any outside influence. It's important to outline these things as the line between journalism and marketing is finer than ever in the watch community today. Anyway, let's get to it! Introduction Artisan Straps is a fellow Aussie who has taken his leather crafting skills to the watch world with the goal of offering premium straps at an affordable price. The founder, Jayson, crafts all products by hand, whether it be a stock ready accessory or made to order pieces. Artisan straps has seen strong growth in Australia, with more and more enthusiasts adorning their timepieces with straps made by the Sydney based brand. I opte...

13Sep

By vinnievandykNo Comments

Reviews

Review – Zodiac Super Sea Wolf GMT

Like ordering a frozen daquiri in a pub where all the other patrons are drinking beer, the Zodiac Super Sea Wolf GMT is a burst of flavour and goes about its business without pausing for a moment to consider what others might think. The watch grabs your attention with a mint and blue bicolour bezel, before introducing you to its bold but entirely congruent design language. The dial features plenty of high polish with its baton hands matching the block aesthetic of the hour markers which are faceted and the way light bounces around is easily one of SSW GMT's most pleasant features. Regardless of whether the watch is a companion on a lovely a summer's day or the mighty indoors, you will still be rolling your wrist just to see how the Super Sea Wolf highlights all the finished surfaces beneat...

Breaking News – April Fool’s Post Poned to August 2020

13Aug

By vinnievandykNo Comments

Enthusiast Extras

Breaking News – April Fool’s Post Poned to August 2020

2020 has been a tumultuous year, from a health, political, social, financial perspective and the watch industry has had its fair share of obstacles and challenges. While there are serious issues going on in the world right now, August 2020 saw some products and content that can be placed in the category of 'head scratchers'. Enthusiasts were out to kill and while I am all for a bit of debauchery, I think there is worth in analysing what we've seen beyond the absolutely incredible memes that have surfaced over the last month. The Hodinkee Travel Clock: Boy did the big H get a rinsing for this one. Hodinkee began their campaign with a standard watch this space post on instagram where everyone began prodding around trying to conjure up which watch manufacture would be the latest to enjoy a ...

27Jul

By vinnievandyk4 Comments

Reviews

In Depth & Review – King Seiko 4402

Welcome back to another long term review! In this instalment, we discuss my first foray into vintage watch collecting with the King Seiko 4402. Vintage watch collecting is currently at the height of its powers, it only seems fitting to investigate what the fuss is all about. What Do We Have Here? The watch in question is a King Seiko 4402. A manual wind, time and date piece made of steel circa 1967. With a 35.5mm diameter and slim profile, this is the typical silhoutte of a timepiece born in the late 60's. You may recognise the design language of this King Seiko with its sharp facets and high polish edges extrapolated to Grand Seiko pieces of today. This particular watch is amongst the first generation of pieces from the manufacture to feature Taro Tanaka's grammar of design which we...

If Bashing Rolex Was A Sport, Would You Be An Elite Athlete?

10Jul

By vinnievandykNo Comments

Enthusiast Extras

If Bashing Rolex Was A Sport, Would You Be An Elite Athlete?

I struggle to provide superlatives to describe what Rolex is to the watch industry. No other brand dominates their market like Rolex does with wristwatches. Car manufacturers, fashion labels or any other commercial entity can only dream to have such provenance in their field and widespread culture. No matter where you are in the world, when the word Rolex is mentioned it is associated with a certain air of quality, status or passion. So, on one hand it makes sense that the brand has been on the tip of enthusiast tongues for some time now and will continue to be for as long as the current situation continues. Wait lists, flippers, boutique relationships, influencers, grey market premiums are only some of the buzz words that have been thrown around in the past few years to describe the lands...

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...

FOR THE ENTHUSIAST – IFL WATCHES MOVEMENT CUFFLINKS

11May

By vinnievandykNo Comments

Enthusiast Extras

FOR THE ENTHUSIAST – IFL WATCHES MOVEMENT CUFFLINKS

IFL watches is a small operation from Sweden specialising in watch related accessories. Known for their cuff links and orbital watch winders (please do check those out, they're mesmerising), they were kind enough to send two of their products for me to get hands on with. If you are a corporate warrior or need something extra for that black tie event, a french cuff and cuff links can give you a hint of extra pizzazz for your attire and set yourself apart from the herds of drab suits and plain shirts. While you can opt for simple or comical links, why not stay true to the horological enthusiast you are with these incredibly detailed accessories. Alternatively, if you're looking to buy a gift for the enthusiast in your life, cuff links are a great option, especially if IFL offers one of th...

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...