If you haven’t heard of Reactor luxury watches, it’s okay… but you should know they hold the claim to creating the best sports watch possible and one of their claims to fame is the Reactor Gamma water sports watch which has the thickest ever application of Superluminova for “extreme low-light performance”.  Okay…so what?

Well what about a 10 year power supply, 300 M depth rating and anti-reflective coated crystal for perfect visibility under water?

Seriously people…Reactor takes their best build claim to the extreme me. Europa Star recently reported that Reactor’s water sport watch was put to an extreme torture-level stress.  They attacked the Reactor Gamma water sport watch to a shipwreck submerged in 300 feet of saltwater off the coast of Florida.  But get this… it’s going to remain there for 3 years!

If they pull this off, I don’t think anyone will doubt that they have the best built sports watch….TAG Heuer and Breitling Emergency watch…. watch out, a new extreme watch kid is on the block.

Last month we discussed IceLink releasing their jaw dropping 6TimezoneSnow collection in 2008. Well its 2009 and IceLink added some sleekness to the 6Timezone watch and made it mechanical….hence the name Icelink 6Timezone Mechanical Watch.

However, IceLink is still a world first by creating the first luxury watch with a rectangular mechanical movement with 5 time zones. It’s available in white or pink gold and it powers 5 time zones simultaneously.  The movement is hand-wound mechanical with a 50 hour power reserve.  Functions of the IceLink 6Timezone Mechanical include hours, minutes, seconds, and four time zones with day/night indicators.

The case is 62.7 mm by 40.2 mm with or without diamonds and in a choice of pink or white gold.  The screw down curved case back has two openings which allow the wearer or admirer to see the mechanical movement.  The case however, isn’t complete without the 5 crowns and push pieces all in 18K gold.  The dial is created with a brushed metal effect with the local time at the 3 o’clock position.  The dial also has the four timezones, a local time, and a second window zone which is where the “6 Timezones” come into play.

Lastly, a black crocodile bracelet with a pink or white gold folding strap completes the look of the IceLink 6Timezone luxury watch.

Images via Swiss Time

 

They are known for pulling out some amazing masterpieces, but this time, Dubey and Schaldenbrand has really come up with a luxury watch called the Spiral-Verso VIP that we would die for.

Okay, I know what you are thinking… you guys always say you’d “die” for this watch, or this watch is “amazing”.  Well, we love watches way more than we hate them…plus, this time the watch actually has a flying case, so what do you expect?

Yes… it has a flying case.  Everywhere we’ve seen it the people are saying “Why yes, this elegantly designed watch has 3 counters…” blah, blah, blah.  The watch has a flying case for goodness sakes! Where’s the excitement?

Here are the specifications:

• Movement: Chronograph 3 counters with triple date and moon phase
• Self-winding mechanical movement from Dubey & Schaldenbrand Chronometer-quality escapement, stop second
• Finish: Hand engraved decorated movement gold finish Skeletonized rotor, blued steel screws
• Frequency: 28.800 vibrations per hour
• Jewels: 25 / Incabloc
• Power reserve: 48 hours
• Functions: Hours, minutes, subsidiary seconds, 24 hours hand, chronograph, day, date, month and moon phase
• Dial: Brossé with 6 blued half spheres set on a brushed dial
• Hands: “Losanges diamantés” with SuperLuminova Chronograph hand with vintage spiral (exclusivity DS)
• Case: Polished 316L surgical stainless steel, mobile lugs. Blue set crown
• Dimensions: 41 x 47.5 mm, Height 15.5 mm
• Watch crystal: Anti-reflective sapphire crystal domed on top and on the bottom
• Water resistance: To 30 meters
• Band: Galuchat royal (24 mm special cut)
• Dimensions: 20 mm stainless steel bracelet
• Buckle: 16 mm tang or deployant
• Special features: Crown on left side
• Revolutionary flying case

No it’s not a concept watch, it’s a watch; and if you guessed Japan…you are right.  It always seems like they are 100 steps ahead of us!  This watch is just cool.  There’s no ifs, ands, or buts about it.  Who wouldn’t want this watch from luxury watch retailer Tokyoflash Japan?

The watch is called the Tokyoflash R75 and it features bright LED lights that tell the time in 3 different ways. All you have to do is touch the button to display the time you want.  As you cycle through, just stop on the one you like.

There’s two buttons. The first button (at the top right) goes let’s you choose date mode.  It’ll tell you what month it is by the number of dots lit up at the top and it’ll tell you what day it is by the lights at the bottom:

The second button (bottom right) takes you through time cycles which include Minute Centric Mode, Hour-centric Mode, and Binary Mode.

But the look is pretty amazing. It’s made entirely of stainless steel and has that futuristic “Matrix” look that get some eyes turning. It’s a unisex design, has a butterfly clasp, 33mm case diameter, 170 g in weight, and 3ATM of water resistance.

So, at $250 dollars, I think I just may choose the red pill.

LG has created a new watch phone entitled the LG GD910 which is worn on the wrist  and has a tiny touchscreen which can also be used for dialing numbers, texting, and high speed internet access.

These new and exciting developments will be launched at CES 2009, which is begins this week in Las Vegas,  The watch will also include video calling, MP3 playback, and picture taking through a front facing camera.

The LG GD910 is slim and measures 13.9mm thing with a 1.43 full touchscreen LCD and 7.2 Mbps on HSDPA.  As usual, Europe and Asia will have fun with it first before we get our hands on it… but we’re patient.

Geez.. why didn’t we patent this?  We knew it was coming…

We say innovative, some say weird, we say fresh, some say un-wearable.  Well, we say it’s not meant to be worn and we think the critics should get a life…it’s about time something innovative and out of this world hit the luxury watch industry.

If you can’t tell yet, we love Romain Jerome’s quirky take on odd and original materials to make his watches. We don’t know how he gets his hands on moon dust or pieces of the Titanic, and honestly we don’t care; the man’s a genius. Here is one of his watches that is literally ‘out of this world’ or from ‘infinity and beyond’…whichever fits your fancy best:

Moon Dust - DNA

Romain Jerome came up with a collection of watches called DNA of Famous Legends which praise the legends of our time through an exclusive collection of watches. The latest watch in his collection is called Moon Dust-DNA  or affectionately called Romain Jerome Moondust or Romain Jerome moon watch.  Whatever you choose to call it, the watch stretches beyond normal by incorporating authentic Moon dust, fragments of the Apollo XI and Soyuz spacecraft, and elements from the International Space Station into its design.

As far as how these components fit into the watch design; Moon Dust-DNA by Romain Jerome includes a ‘lunar’ dial based on the actual mineral deposit including Moon dust, 46 mm steel titanium case that uses steel from the Apollo XI spacecraft, rusted steel paws using fragments’ from Soyuz spacecraft, and a strap with fibers from a spacesuit worn during the ISS mission.

Still a little skeptical? Well, if you can afford to buy the watch then Romain himself guarantees the origin of the materials not only through an authenticated and certified legal document in Switzerland, but also a certificate from the Association of Space Explores (ASE).

Amazing huh? We thought so too…

The creators of the popular DiamondShark.com, the website that sells luxury jewelry in a “bargain-a-day” format,  has just announced the launch of their latest deal per day website, ChronoShark.com.

ChronoShark.com was launched the day after Christmas and offers high quality and name brand watches at low prices… that means a different watch per day for a limited time at a limited price.

Other online watch retailers don’t seem to mind the competition too much…if someone wants to really buy a specific watch; they are not going to wait for days for it to pop up on a daily deals site.  ChronoShark.com is more of a bargain shopper’s haven, where you don’t know what the inventory will be today, but you know whatever it is, it’ll be a great price.

ChronoShark.com features a number of luxury watch brands for men and women including, Movado, Seiko, Techonomarine, Bulova, Citizen, ESQ, Invitca, etc.  However, compared to other deal-a-day sites, we really have to take our hats off to ChornoShark.com.  The website actually has exact item descriptions and links to other sites so you can comparison shop for that particular deal.  Also, by signing up for the email newsletter, you don’t have to go to the website everyday, the deals along with coupons will come directly to your inbox.

It’s a great idea for a luxury watch industry retailers, especially during this economy because consumers are looking for price cuts and bargains for their favorite luxury products.  According to ChornoShark.com:

“ChronoShark.com was created by experts in the jewelry industry that have used their extensive connections and network of suppliers to provide consumers with the absolute lowest prices possible on exquisite watches.”

Definitely a bargain!

We are not exactly sure why this watch appeals to us on so many levels; maybe it’s the unique design that catches our eye, not necessarily out of awe… but out of confusion.  When we first saw this watch we asked ourselves, what are the numbers for, what is the moving black dot for, and why do we like it so much?

We couldn’t answer all the questions but we can admit that a.b.art’s Swiss Made Serie O Watch 101 is pretty awesome.  a.b.art Swiss Made is a watch brand that boast “unostentatious design” for men and women.  In their exact words:

“a.b.art is different. a.b.art is authentic. We’re not about glitter and glamour but much rather about sophisticated beauty, low-key shapes and materials as well as high Swiss quality. a.b.art is an expression of the passion and care with which watches are being produced in this Swiss company day in and day out.
a.b.art – authentic and basic art.”

The company was started in 1991 by Alexander Burhans in Germany and has produced watches that should be in art museums, heads tilted and all.

But, let’s talk about this particular watch.   This is the O101 from the a.b.art’s men’s collection. The first thing you notice about the watch is all the dots. The dots represent the quartz movement with 31 hole date indicator.  The black dot rotates to the number with the correct day.  The a.b.art O101 also has a silver steel brushed case with a silver dial and sapphire glare proofed crystal.  It comes in a black or brown leather strap with a stainless steel buckle.

Linde Werdelin has designed the perfect Christmas watch this holiday season, right on time for The Watch Digest to suggest our first last minute holiday gift idea; The Hard Green DLC Watch.

The Hard Green DLC Watch by Linde Werdelin is a limited edition watch of 22 pieces marked with unique numbers.  And these are not just any numbers, these numbers have been blasted onto the Hard Green DLC Watch by carbon which would make them the hardest numbers around; well almost, only numbers made with diamonds would be stronger.  However, most importantly, the combination of carbon blasting and watch making makes the Hard Green DLC durable and perfect for hard core sports.

Although the Hard Green DLC Watch by Linde Werdelin is available with a silver dial design… the green bracelet and case with the red dial and silver hour markers and hands make this watch perfect for Christmas.

For those of you who have not heard of Linde Werdelin, here is a little background.  The company was started by Morten Linde and Jorn Werdelin in 2002 as a way to develop a luxury sports watch that sports enthusiast could clip digital instruments onto for timing and measuring.  Both guys were pretty well established before the partnership.  Morten Linde was a famous Danish designer who created the Copenhagen public park chairs and Jorn Werdelin came from a family of jewelry professionals whose grandfather opened the family boutique. However, Jorn’s success came in investment banking and off-psite skiing which eventually led to his obsession with luxury sports watches.

According to europa star, Rolex has designed a new training for watchmakers that will be required at all Rolex sponsored schools in the United States. Rolex is a leader in watch education with over 200 students graduating from Rolex programs and with over 1.6 million dollars of endowments annually.

The new Rolex watchmaking program was constructed to up the principles of watchmaking training and education in the United States.  The new curriculum will be overseen by Swiss American Watchmakers Training Alliance (SAWTA) that includes representatives from Rolex, Rolex sponsored schools, Watchmakers of Switzerland Training and Education Program (WOSTEP) and the American Watchamkers-Clockmakers Institute (AWCI).  SAWTA is a newly formed alliance owned
by Rolex. The new curriculum was also created to make sure students are able to acquire the skills needed to achieve AWCI and WOSTEP certification.

The AWCI, a member of the SAWTA, offers a number of credentials to students including Certified Watchmaker 21, Certified Clockmaker 21, and Certified Master of the Institute.  They also have a number of certification in development including Certified Master Watchmaker 21, Certified Master Clockmaker 21, Watch Specialist, and Watch Technician.  The organization was founded in 1960 and by the American Watchmakers Institute, which was the first unified horological organization. The WOSTEP, the other collaborative representative in SAWTA, also offers a number of certifications and courses including the Chronographs Course, Turning Course, Train the Trainers, Introduction to Precision Timing, and many more.

The new Rolex curriculum will culminate to a comprehensive final examine where students who pass will receive individual certifications from AWCI, WOSTEP, and SAWTA.