Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean "Liquidmetal"

Let the record state that I am a big Omega fan. That being said, they really have not put anything out in the past few years, since I purchased my PO, that has got my motor running, so to speak...until now! Omega has gone above and beyond in updating the Seamaster Planet Ocean by utilizing 2 materials that they have never used before on any watch, ceramic and a unique titanium compound that they have named "Liquidmetal" (more on that later)

Thankfully they did not depart from what made the PO a best selling dive watch and one of the most popular timepieces in the replica world. This Limited Edition (1948 pieces) is powered by Omega's Chronomter certified Calibre 2500 Co-Axial automatic movement. The dial is familiar with numerals at 12, 6, and 9 and tapered baton lume markers at all twelve positions. The "Seamaster" text really stands out in red on the, what looks like, ceramic dial. Helium release valve at the 10 spot and the heavily knurled crown. What really sets this model apart is the stunning black ceramic rotating bezel combined with solid "liquidmetal" numerals and markers.

It is still yet to be seen if this new combination will fly with buyers, but from all I can see, it looks to be a real winner. I hope Omega uses more ceramic (a'la Rolex, Hublot, Blancpain, etc...) to come. Time, and sales, will tell if they will translate it throughout the brand.

LIQUIDMETAL

(From Ariel Adams' Blog to Read) Turns out liquid metal is something else, not the ceramic part of the watch. Liquidmetal seems to be a special titanium allow that has the manufacturing process of plastic. Thus it is very malleable. Omega uses Liquid metal at least in parts of the bezel to combine with the ceramic for the amazing seamless look. The makers of liquid metal say that it is a "metallic glass." Something I've certainly never heard of. In addition to titanium, it has zirconium, nickel, copper, and beryllium. Lots of companies uses the stuff when metal needs to be formed in the right way, but simply don't want to endure the very difficult process of using tradition methods to get the beautifully seamless look that you can see here on the bezel of the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Liquidmetal.

Chronoshark.com - Woot! for watches!!

So you are all familiar with WOOT!.com, right. You know that great website that offers one tech-like item per day at a crazy low prices for a limited amount of time. (or until SOLD OUT!) Well it seems that it was only a matter of time before someone came out with a similar version for timepieces.

The guys at Chronoshark.com (launched in 2008) created a place to go for a super daily watch deal. It was started by the people who do DiamondShark.com (same premise, blinged out diamond watches only!)

The concept is pretty similar to WOOT! and all of its competitors. It's real simple to use. First you visit ChronoShark.com everyday to see the deal of the day. If you want, you can get e-mails from them, or get their deals via RSS. If you like what you see, you can view some technical information, a clear image of the watch, some relevant details about the watch, and most importantly you get some some comparison prices as to what the same watch model would cost on major retails elsewhere. There is a countdown clock telling you how much time is left on the current deal.

Pricing seems real good on their current selections. They are limited to limited to mainstream brands with high distribution. Chronoshark says the main brands offered right now are: Accutron, Bulova, Citizen, ESQ, Invicta, Movado, Seiko and Technomarine. Both women and men's watches are available. Nice heritage brands for sure, but don't hold your breath for any Rolex or Richard Mille pieces to go through anytime soon. (LuxuryShark??)

I suggest you pop by every now and then to see what they have available. The deals are great but you had better hurry!!

Rolex - The Official Watch of "Life Savers" Everywhere!

OK...so this press release came out just after the new year or so from Melrose Jewelers, an online Rolex wholesaler/retailer. I see the title "Rolex Watches Help with the Recovery of Owen Wilson" so I read it. I wish I had those few minutes of my life back.

I was (and still am) absolutely floored at the audacity of Melrose Jewelers for printing up such horse-shit! Or as one website called it - "The most serious case of "You've got to be fucking kidding me" marketing we've ever seen or heard." To save you the misfortune of reading it; it basically says that Rolex played a major role in Owen Wilson's recovery form an attempted suicide back in '08.

The timing of the piece clearly shows that Melrose Jewelers wanted to drum up a little extra Holiday business and we all know that all press is good press so...they decided to post this on their blog with a few pics of Owen Wilson wearing his Rolex Submariner about.

It is filled with blurbs like, "Whatever the hawks of the media choose to write, it is clear that Rolex played a major role in Owen Wilson's recovery. Back in good form, the actor is nothing less than a comic genius in a time when comedy is a necessity. Wearing a Rolex Submariner and attending Rolex Benefits helped Owen Wilson realize his life was valuable and worth living. Once again, the precision and quality of a Rolex proves to be a lifesaver in more ways than one."

Ahem...Melrose Jewelers, ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? So what you are saying is that luxury brand goods are life saving devices when all else in life seems grim? You should be ashamed of yourselves for posting and then releasing to the press after it made the rounds on the internet, a story that is pure and utter bullshit. This is a mans life that we are talking about. I am sure if Owen Wilson or anyone that has been in that situation before was asked, give up your precious Rolexes for a more stable and healthy way of life for yourself, those watches would be gone in seconds.

Look, who knows, maybe Wilson got a free watch out of it. Maybe the venerable Swiss watchmaker does have magical healing powers. Maybe monkeys will fly out of my ass when I get up from this chair.

But congratulations, it is only January 9th and you have won the Internet Asshat Award for the year, already. Wear it well.

BREAKING NEWS - Rolex CEO to Resign

Patrick Heiniger, CEO and Managing Director of Rolex, will be stepping down at the end of the year. Heiniger had no comment, but Rolex issued a statement stating his decision stemmed from a desire to pursue "personal activities". Heiniger has been the executive face of Rolex since 1992, when he succeeded his father Andre as Managing Director. Andre Heiniger, for his part, became Managing Director in 1960, the year that Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf died.

Operations at Rolex will continue under the aegis of the board of directors. According to Rolex, Patrick Heiniger will stay on with the company in an advisory role.

Rolex was founded in 1908. Among the achievements of Hans Wilsdorf was the establishment of a private trust operated by a board of directors to ensure long-term stability and growth for Rolex.

Made in Switzerland, I think...

If you own a fine luxury timepiece you have see it. The small writing on the bottom of the dial or back of the case that reads "SWISS MADE". For years those two words have been the benchmark for premium grade watches. We all know that the finest watchmakers are in Switzerland and that even the most simple of quartz movements assembled there are placed higher than their Chinese counterparts. Or so we thought....

As current laws currently read, at least 50% of the value of a watch movement must be manufactured in Switzerland for the product to qualify as Swiss-made. But a standard movement can and typically makes up only 15% to 25% of a watch's total value, this means less than 10% of the value of a watch qualifying as Swiss-made might have been added in Switzerland.

"Today, it's legal to sell a watch as Swiss-made simply by doing some extra work on a small component in Switzerland," said Nick Hayek, chief executive of Swatch Group, the world's largest watchmaker by sales. "It's like putting expensive Swiss seats in a generic car and then selling it as Swiss-made."

Hayek's Swatch Group along with Richemont and Rolex are leading the charge to make Swiss watches more, well...Swiss. They are proposing that 60% of a Swiss (quartz) and 80% of all Swiss (mechanical) watches be made in Switzerland to bear the luxury of the "Swiss Made" stamp. This will keep the stamp a symbol of quality for generations and gurantee watch buyers are buying what is being advertised to them.

The three are the largest part of the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry, a powerful industry association representing most of the country's manufacturers, which is lobbying the government for the change. But some other, smaller watchmakers don't share in the idea. They feel it is a ploy to drive them out of business or to force them to use outside manufacturing sources, such as those owned by the 'big three'.

I am a firm believer that if a product is stamped "Made in xxxx" then it should mean that it was made there not just that the Company is headquartered there. The laws that are currently in place for that sort of thing are allowing some of our finest luxury brands to become diluted and not so luxurious anymore. Cheers to those that are spearheading this initiative.

Size Matters!!

Bigger is Better! Size Matters!

We hear it all the time, don't we? The girls on Sex and the City talked about it and now, I am!! I'm just going to go in a different direction with it.

Take a trip through your local watch store. Be it a Tourneau, Wempe, or your local Saks and check out the size of watches lately. At one time Rolex was thought to demand a pretty large parcel of wrist real estate. Now, the venerable brand is miniscule compared to whats in the marketplace.

Take Panerai for instance. The uniquely militant Italian brand that is taking the luxury watch world by storm. Sure they have a few 40mm options (avg. size Rolex is 38mm) for the ladies in your life - but the majority of the collection is a stout and proud 44mm wide, and that is not including the oversized crown guard.

Breitling is another. You can see in the picture above that my Breitling Super Ocean Steelfish takes up my entire wrist from top to bottom. The watch is actually so heavy, that I had to use a Breitling sport rubber strap in place of the standard metal bracelet to shave off some oz's. Thats 43mm of steel from left to right.

There are several out there that push the envelope of size. Bell & Ross has a 42 and 46mm instrument that wears even larger because of its square shape. IWC lives and plays in the 42mm arena. But the biggest and baddest of them all. The John Holmes of luxury timepieces would have to be the U-Boat Flightdeck. 55mm of pure Italian badass. Stallone and Arnold have been seen rockin' these around town. They even look too large for them. Just to give you an idea of how large 55mm really is...the average computer mouse is 54mm wide. Yeah, I know...huge, right?

So the next time you are out and about and you overhear some ladies at the bar talking about "wider is better", they just might be talking about what's on your wrist.

Got the Time??

OK, I admit it. I love luxury watches. I don't care if it's a stainless Rolex Explorer or an 18k IWC Portuguese...I love them all.

Some people love collecting art, some collect cars, me - I think that a fine timepiece is much more complex. And because you wear it and are one with it, it becomes much more special than any other luxury item you can own.

I am going to try and make you fall in love with each and every piece I show you on this blog, just like I have. if you have any comments, or would like me to review a particular brand just let me know. You can reach me at timetotock@gmail.com and of course you can follow me at www.twitter.com/stevengrande.

Thanks and welcome to Time to Tock