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8/16/2018 0 Comments Victorinox 241369 Automatic Field Watch Review - The BEST Watch You can buy for under $300
Let us take a closer look at what is honestly the highest quality watch you can literally buy for $249. This field style automatic watch produced by Victoronox has all that you are looking for in an everyday automatic quality watch, but you probably paid $500+ for the same exact thing.Case
Comprised of solid 316L solid brushed steel besides the steel smooth bezel which is polished, the watch comes in at a beautiful wearable modern 40MM in diameter. In terms of case thickness, my calipers read 10MM which feels splendid on wrist. The case cut is definitely reminescent of older style officer watches from the past
made by Hamilton and such, with a modern take. My favorite aspect of this piece is the wonderfully signed polished pull/push crown and the 100M of water resistance this watch can achieve. Do not fret if you happen to drop this one in the pool, or forget to take it off whilst showering. Everything feels like it should cost a lot more than it does and it should because this watch originally retailed for $749 from Victorinox. 
Dial
The dial on this model is very simple, easy to read, and looks to be in place. Applied brushed romans surround the dial and match the dagger style hour and minutes hand in terms of finish. Something different we see here is the cut out triple date window located above the triangle and between Swiss Made at 6:00. Im one who likes changes and can live with this. I think it looks in place especially with the larger numerals and matching brushed outline. This is a military officers watch so the 24 hour reading is printed around the center of the dial in case you should need it. Personally, I do not use military time and never will but hey, it follows along with the theme they were going for here. The lume
is superluminova and only on the hands which is a bit of a letdown. I can honestly say if they did lume the numbers they would not be nearly as legibile though. The crystal is Sapphire and has a layer of Anti Reflective coating which actually does help legibility in high light or sunny conditions. 
Movement
Inside this affordable beast lies the trustworthy and popular Elabore ETA 2824-2 automatic swiss made movement. This movement contains 25 Jewels, Hand winding, hacking, and had around a 38 hour power reserve. From my example, I have been experiencing around +6 seconds a day which is outstanding from a non chronometer grade or cosc certified movement. A extra little touch of a emblem on the rotor adds a bit of Swiss charm to the Sapphire exhibition caseback as well.
Rubber Strap
Victorinox makes great bracelets and straps, and if you have owned any of their newer models you should
know this by now. This is a genuine rubber swiss made end fitted 20MM strap with a brushed signed buckle. It fits with comfort due to the fitted ends and the buckle is small enough enough to stay out of the way or get caught on something. They do have the same model on Amazon with the butterfly stainless steel bracelet for the same exact price in case you were wondering. 
ConclusionThis is simply a watch with the best set of specifications and quality
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Movement
The In House Calibre 3285 is one workhorse of a movement. This movement is COSC certified of course and will run accurately within -2 or +2 seconds a day with no error. Rolex movements are some of the most consistent and reliable mechanical movements I have seen. From the Blue Parachrom hairspring, to the beautiful chronergy escapement, increased shock resistance and 70 hour power reserve - you are definitely getting your moneys worth with this inside your Rolex. A near function related to the GMT function is the independent hour increments the hand can flip for easier time zone movement.
Conclusion
Furthermore my fellow Rolex Fanboys, the new GMT is certainly appealing and has the momentum in the market at the moment with prices seen at 18K+ which is completely rediculous, and I would never pay that much over retail for a new piece. The movement upgrades are a big plus in my book, as well as the addition of the new super comfortable Jubilee bracelet. I would wait until things cool down a bit before purchasing one and see if the prices come down...At retail $9250 It is definitely worth it if your on the hunt for a Pepsi style GMT and do not want to go down the vintage route.
Thomas Earnshaw offers a 30% discount using code WA30 and a 15% discount on sale items using code WA15
https://www.Thomas-Earnshaw.com
Case
This 316L rather round stainless steel case has a yellow gold layer of IP plating over it. A bright yellow gold high polish is put into place here and it really came out quite nice. You do get that feeling you are wearing a true solid gold watch when on wrist. The 20MM lugs are slightly rounded and give off a classy look. The case diameter comes in at just about 42MM and 12MM high. A large Earnshaw logo is engraved on the side of the case opposite to the crown, which some folks might like or dislike. Personally, it is not so bold and rather subtle so I do not really mind it. Flipping the watch and heading to the caseback, it is done in a high polish steel with simple branding and specification markings. In case you were thinking of dipping your Earnshaw in the water, this case only has a rating of 5ATM or 50 Meters . Basically, you can wash your hands and be ok, get caught in the rain and be okay, just please do not jump in a pool with this watch on!
Dial
The dial has to be my favorite part of the Grand Legacy. It is classic, quite symmetrical, and nothing seems out of place. From the classic applied Numerals surrounding the dial down to the blue Breguet style hands. This watch just screams elegance, class, and wear me to a nice event! The two sub dials are evenly placed and the hands are of good length for easy read legibility. The seconds hand is a continuous tick, while the two subdials are used for minutes, and a one hour countdown when you start the chronograph. The date window at 3:00 features a white background which matches the dial perfectly with black numerals.
Movement
Japanese Quartz Chronograph Movement
2-3 Year Battery Life
+2 seconds a month
2-3 Year Battery Life
+2 seconds a month
Leather Band
The embossed leather band on this model is 20MM and tapers down to 18MM where it meets the signed yellow gold “E” style buckle. I did realize this strap seems a bit thinner than usual and I supposed they did that to make the case pop a bit more when on wrist. It is of good quality and easy to wear out of the box. Their leather bands are very well made and do last quite some time if you have ever owned a Earnshaw piece before, you know what I’m talking about.
Conclusion
Furthermore, the Grand Legacy is no doubt a great looking dress watch. It has all of those great characteristics of classic elements from brands such as Breguet, and Patek Philippe - or simple Swiss watchmaking. They put all this together with decent materials for a pricepoint of around 290 GBP. If this seems out of your budget, no worries - You can save 30% off this model using the code WA30 at checkout which makes it super affordable for the everyday classy gentleman ( $258 USD ). Thanks for reading, and be well.
The breitling SuperOcean Heritage II is a vintage inspired dive watch dating back to the early days of the Superocean breitling line. This iteration has received some great upgrades in terms of materials utilized, movement, and overall look.
Case and Dial
The 42MM case on this version ( 46MM available also ) is comrpsied of highly breitling polished 316L steel. Now if you did not know, Breitling makes some of the best cases out there in terms of fit and finish, so this is no surprise here. The lugs are 22Mm and the width measures 14.3MM. The case Itself weighs around 90 grams and is certainly not super heavy when compared to other divers in this category, but rather average. A very easy to grip mid sized crown with knurreling sits over at 3:00 which is screwed down of course for the 200M of water resistance this case can take. I really wont get into the caseback, because well it is screwed down, quite plain and boring. The dial is where the action is at on this piece which pays excellent homage to the original 1950s superocean. The highly polished and sharp applied silver indices and broad arrow hand help to achieve a vintage, yet bold and daring look. There is lume on the hands and small pips behind each applied marker, which honestly is not enough...for me atleast. A nice upgrade is the 120 click UniDirectional bezel which is comprised of Ceramic in a high polished black colour. I must say the action is fairly good, with minimal backplay nor alignment issues. Now it is nowhere near Rolex bezel good, but its good enough for what you can expect from Breitling.
Movement
The most noticeable upgrade is the integration of the new Tudor/Breitling collaboration movement. The in-house Breitling Calibre 20 contains 28 jewels, beats at 28,800 BPH, and has a very long power reserve of 70 hours. This movement is also chronometer certified and gains around 2 seconds a day.
Strap Options - Rubber / Mesh / Leather
Now I tried on all 3 variations of the straps options for the HII and found out three things. The black catachouc rubber strap with integrated clasp is super
flexible and comfortable, and great quality. The Mesh bracelet version is also very comfortable and suits the watch just fine. Although, the same breitling deployant is used on previous models from the years behind us...and they need to upgrade them! Do not get me wrong they are well made, adjustable, and have enough micro space for a perfect fit. I just wish they can integrate some kind of easy adjust system. The leather straps from Breitling are of course superb quality as always , but who wants a leather strap on a watch your going to be swimming with?
flexible and comfortable, and great quality. The Mesh bracelet version is also very comfortable and suits the watch just fine. Although, the same breitling deployant is used on previous models from the years behind us...and they need to upgrade them! Do not get me wrong they are well made, adjustable, and have enough micro space for a perfect fit. I just wish they can integrate some kind of easy adjust system. The leather straps from Breitling are of course superb quality as always , but who wants a leather strap on a watch your going to be swimming with?
Conclusion
Furthermore my fellow addicts, the 42MM Black SuperOcean Heritage II is a great watch if you really take a look at what you get for the coin. From the new in house movement, ceramic upgrade, quality straps as usual, and flawless case cut/finish - You are getting your moneys worth with this one. I can feel quality when I pick something up for the first time, and while I did not feel it with the original Superocean One, I certainly felt it in this upgraded newer model.
Today, we will take a peak at a watch from Gearbest, which is a wholesaler for many affordable watches, some horrible, some okay, and some great value propositions as well. The watch today is called the "Guanqin Nomos Lambda", which was made up, but really there is no actual name of this model.
Click Here To Purchase One from GearBest
Case
The Guanqin is housed in an all polished steel case with nice short teadrop style lugs and a very round case design to compliment them. The diameter comes in at 41MM and wears like one. The case thickness is around 13MM and this watch is also equipped with a genuine Sapphire crystal. The lug width is 20MM and suits the case fairly well. Our signed “G” crown is pull/push and I assume this watch has a water resistance of 3 ATM, which basically means...Stay away from water.
Dial and Hands
The slight matte white dial is very similiar to the Nomos watch it pays Homage too. The nice feature on this model is the large bauhaus style 35 hour power reserve indicator below the 12:00 position. As you wind the watch, the subdial hand will move to show your current power reserve. Long rectangle shaped blue hands do reach quite far out to the end of the dial and allow for a legible view. I do like the addition of the circular white date window inside the seconds subdial at 6:00 and feel it fits in with this Bauhaus style design.
Movement
This watch utilizes the Huangzhou B200 PTS automatic movement. I am actually surprised at the extent of finishing the rotor and movement has with striping and perlage. 22 Jewels, Hacking and hand wind capabilities are also packed into this asian mechanical movement. To be quite honest, myne is running around 8 seconds fast a day which is just perfect at this pricepoint of under $100!
Bracelet
The 20Mm Shark Mesh style adjustable bracelet is quite
comfortable to wear and simple to adjust. The buckle feels secure but the clasp is not signed as well as a more expensive watch, I will not complain at this super cheap pricepoint though!
comfortable to wear and simple to adjust. The buckle feels secure but the clasp is not signed as well as a more expensive watch, I will not complain at this super cheap pricepoint though!
Conclusion
Looking at what you actually get for $58 might have you thinking twice about how much you paid for your Swiss watch or Seiko. This watch gives you a lot for the money including Sapphire, Decent Bracelet, Power Reserve indicator, Decorated movement, Hacking, and hand winding. Need I say more? This is definitely something fun to add to the collection for a beater or everyday watch for work. It looks the part, and certainly feels the part. Thanks for reading!
Today we will take a look at an aviation brand that goes by the name of AVI-8. Most of you are familiar with this brand as they have been around and reviewed on my channel for some time. They are certainly an established brand and even have retail space in stores such as Nordstrom. Anywho, on the table is the very affordable and attainable Hawker Harrier II.
avi-8.co.uk
All Viewers can save 20% on Avi-8 Timepieces using the code WATCHADDICT at Checkout
Case
The rather slim 11MM by 42MM case on the Harrier suits its’ personality well. This case is comprised of high grade 316L solid brushed stainless steel, besides the caseback where we have a polished surface. The lug measurement comes in at 22MM and will not be an issue in case you wanted to swap straps for a NATO or rubber strap. The brushing and case cut kind of blew my mind in comparison to the pricing of a very low $155 for this model. It is near perfect in finish and is very smooth, as well as the facets on the side of the case. A nice touch is the bullseye logo located on the pull/push crown which is polished to match the caseback. This watch retains 50M of water resistance, so while
in no way should you take this in the pool with you, I would not be afraid whilst washing my hands or being stuck in a terrential downpour.I really am starting to like the neat designs Avi-8 inscribes on their casebacks, and this one is a pleasure to view as well pictured below.
in no way should you take this in the pool with you, I would not be afraid whilst washing my hands or being stuck in a terrential downpour.I really am starting to like the neat designs Avi-8 inscribes on their casebacks, and this one is a pleasure to view as well pictured below.
Dial
Usually, Avi-8 puts a spin on the tradition flieger like layout and they definitely implied that here on the Harrier II. Applied 0 and 6 , markers, and a departure of the normal date at 3:00 is moved to 9:00. Also, a useful feature is the day complication which lies on a narrow diagonal track running from 1:00-7:00. This track fills in with a dot to determine the day of the week. Colorwise, a black matte textured dial is bold and works well with the overall ruggid look. Large and visible sword shaped pilot hands get the job done here and allow for timereading at a quick glance. Getting to the Lume, some form of SuperLuminova which glows green is applied to the hands, and applied markers as well as the 0-6. Lastly, a hardened mineral crystal sits above the dial, which we typically expect at this pricepoint.
Movement
This watch uses a Japanese multi-function day and date quartz movement which is operated on a battery. I would expect accuracy of a couple seconds a month and a battery change every couple years or so. It gets the job done and keeps the price down.
Leather Strap
The Avi-8 genuine leather straps are nothing new to me as they have been using these for quite some time. They are however very supple, flexible, and comfy on wrist. A standard medium sized signed brushed buckle allows for a confident fit. Small details such as the white stitch at each end of the 22MM strap which tapers to 20MM allow for a vintage feel.
Conclusion
Avi-8 makes some cool timepieces, there is no doubt about that. They stray far away from homage watches and produce their own unique style. They also incorporate new ways to tell the time/date/day which make them fun to wear. This is honestly a great deal at this price offering and many colors have sold out already. If you have any thoughts, please drop them in the comment section below. Be well.
