This Week (in Watches) Today, 5 July 2022: 7 things you should know

It’s a relatively slow week as far as watch news go, but the watch releases keep rolling in. First up, is a massive tease from Tudor. Then we have the slate of Breitling watches that Ralf isn’t a big fan of, a luxury priced G Shock that Mark seems to like, new Citizens that Misael absolutely loves, another Oris limited edition, a Kudoke 2 Limited Edition and a the latest nature inspired Grand Seiko.  These are the top 7 things in the world of watches; let’s get into it.

Tudor’s tease for 8 July Midnight (CEST)

Photo Credit: @TudorWatch Instagram

It was first rumoured in forums, before Tudor itself put out a series of teasers, harking back to its Oyster Prince roots from 1952. These teasers were only limited to the brand’s stories on Instagram, but they are enough to get people talking. The occasion that Tudor is marking, is the British North Greenland Expedition which kicked off in 1952 with the proud Oyster Prince along for the ride. Since its rebirth of sorts, Tudor has largely stayed away from touching anything remotely close to the Oyster Prince, though the North Flag seemed to be named after the adventures of this expedition. Tudor has since discontinued the North Flag, but I for one, am extremely excited to see if the brand releases anything in the same vein as the North Flag, or even a new smaller in-house powered Ranger. Then again, Tudor might just be dropping another limited edition video. We’ll have to wait and see.

Breitling’s Slew of SuperOceans

“The SuperOcean was my favorite line from Breitling so I am biased, but more about that in the conclusion. The SuperOcean has traditionally been a proper tool watch, huge water resistance ratings up to 1,500 meters, a Chronometer certified movement and a lovely diving bezel. This time however, the SuperOcean range has yet again received a design overhaul that reaches back to the 60s for inspiration, the SlowMotion model.

One thing is for certain, you can find your pick with this collection, with steel, steel & gold, bronze cases in 36/42/44/46mm x 12.1mm sizes that have white, black, blue, green turquoise or orange dials. Unfortunately, the chapter ring is humongous which shrinks the dial making it cluttered. The new “shovel style” minute hand will also certainly polarize watch enthusiasts and will make Tudors Snowflake hands look very reasonable. The movement used is the B17 calibre which is a workhorse but makes the price tag of US$4,600 to 6,700 too pricey in my opinion. Overall, this watch is a miss.” – Ralf a.k.a. @koolpep

Martins of Glasgow Watch Servicing and Repair

Check out the full article here.

Casio G-Shock GMW-B5000TVB

“If the mechwarriors of anime wore wristwatches they would surely look like this. The new Casio GMW-B5000TVB is a new G-shock that is made from titanium which has been ion-plated in a variety of tones to give a modern, aerospace camo pattern.

This watch features all of the Casio goodness. It has Tough Solar, multi-band time zone correction, and Bluetooth plus a very readable negative display. You will forget all of that when you see it on your wrist. The camo pattern and unusual colors make this another standout design to compliment the traditional G-shock digital display.” – Mark Wheeler

Citizen Silver Leaf Lacquer

“Citizen just took my mind right off any dress offering in the sub to slightly above the $1000 mark with their new Silver Leaf Lacquer (JDM) NB1060-12L (blue-$1,020) and 04A (silver-$935). These come in a classically proportioned case, 38.2mm x 12mm x 46mm. Though it may look like any other steel case that has polished and brushed, it actually goes through Citizen’s Duratect Platinum surface hardening process. It also has an elevated WR of 100m.

It beats its main competitor, the Seiko Presage collection, with the in-house caliber 9011 which has 42 hours of power reserve and accuracy of -10/+20 seconds per day. Like the dial, this can be seen through a sapphire crystal, though the dial side crystal is domed.

The dials are made by applying a silver foil followed by a thin layer of pigment to a metal base. With this being done by hand, it produces different textures that look amazing. Additionally, these dials are made up of polished faceted markers and hands, plus a date at 3. These pieces blow me away and are a solid alternative to the wai more expensive Citizen Icon Nature collection, which is to date, my favorite Citizens.” – Misael Alves

Oris Aquis New York Harbour Limited Edition

“I wouldn’t have imagined oysters having a big role in maintaining the ocean’s ecosystem. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration oysters play a crucial role in improving the conditions of other plant and animal life near them. With that knowledge acquired, it became clear why Oris has partnered with Billion Oyster Project, an ambitious non-profit, started by Founded by educators Murray Fisher and Pete Malinowski, aiming to restore one billion oysters to New York Harbor by the year 2035, to produce the New York Harbor Limited Edition of 2000 pieces.

Not surprisingly the Aquis is used as bases for their nods to the NY Harbor waters and the non-profit that’s trying to save them. – Misael Alves

Check out the full article here.

Kudoke 2 – British Heritage

The Kudoke 2 – British Heritage (a Kudoke x The Limited Edition collaboration) may not be 100% British, but it is a tribute to British watchmaking & it pays homage brilliantly. To call it a dress watch is extremely reductive, since transcends classical designs & is very much a piece of art. Its minimalistic golden frosted dial wonderfully framed by its darker rhodium minute ring and only broken up by an eye-catching gold and rhodium day-night disk with its own rhodium 24-hour ring as well as a simple brand name.

The day-night disk is undoubtedly the standout with its hand engraved sun, moon and star appellations on the disk that makes it far more unique that most options on the market today. Even The Limited Edition’s gold star motif is seamlessly worked in on the disk. I am also extremely impressed by the functionality it adds, while still elevating the form instead of sacrificing it.

Rarely do you find a watch that is so well thought out that every aspect of the watch works seamlessly with the rest of the watch to elevate this piece beyond the sum of its parts. Color me extremely impressed. Check out the full article here.

Grand Seiko SLGH017

Since the release of the White Birch (SLGH005), Grand Seiko has seemed set on making the this pattern the flagship of the brand. The watch has not only won awards at GPHG and Red Dot, but it has also spawned a more subtle whiter Spring Drive version (SLGA009) and a boutique only “green birch” iteration (SLGH011). The brand today continues that trajectory with the SLGH017, which may just be the Evolution 9 model that is for me.

Like the original White Birch, the dial carries a bark-like textured pattern that you is actually reminiscent of the birch tree, but in black. Herein lies the brilliance of Grand Seiko dials, even when its reminiscent of its inspiration, it isn’t a direct reproduction of that inspiration’s pattern unlike some other more renown brands. Instead, it is more an interpretation, which really appeals to the right-side of the brain, while also evoking a sense of zen. That holds especially true on this dial, at least for me.

I am also thrilled that the brand has straight up acknowledged that the inspiration for the dial is largely from the same source, instead of a developing an alternative elaborate story that more often than not comes across as contrived. While I have still not entirely come around on the bracelet, I can picture this watch working really well on an aggressively tapering strap, which together with the dial and my desire to experience this new movement might just be enough to tip over the edge. Time will tell. Check out the full article here.

So that is it for this week. As always, get in on all the action on the Scottish Watches website, and of course, the podcast on your podcaster of choice. Till next time, take care everyone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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