|
2/25/2018 0 Comments Seiko Discontinuing Models Sarb017 Sarb033 Sarb035 Sbdx017 - Seiko Marinemaster - Seiko AlpinistThe news has spread around everywhere this week at a fast rate. Seiko has announced that they wlll halt production of some of their most popular and affordable models that most watch enthusiasts love. The models that will no longer be produced will include the famous "Alpinist" or SARB017, Sarb033, Sarb035, and lastly SBDX017. I cannot really understand why they would do this unless they are preparing to release a lot of new watches at Baselworld 2018 coming in just a few weeks in Switzerland. These watches are all still widely available for purchase from various retailers such as Amazon and other watch shops. If I was you and I would probably grab one now before these models slowly disappear from the shelves. This can also drive the Pre-Owned prices of these affordable watches up on Ebay and forums as well. If you were thinking about buying one of these models and were on the fence I would suggest buying one now before they sell out. I have left some links below and pictures where all these models are available still at their respectable prices.
Seiko SARB017 amzn.to/2oqvbaF Seiko SARB033 http://amzn.to/2oAYVkK Seiko SARB035 (WHITE DIAL) http://amzn.to/2orCS0B Seiko SBDX017 - Seiko Marinemaster http://amzn.to/2FvY9gQ
0 Comments
2/20/2018 1 Comment Elvis Presley’s Omega Diamond Watch Up For Auction at Phillips in Geneva, Switzerland In 1960, shortly after Elvis Presley returned from the Army RCA VICTOR which was Elvis Presleys record company let out six smash hit singles which did extremely well and were known worldwide in a very short time. In honor to commemorate this achievement of selling 75 million records by December 25, 1960 RCA gave a diamond Omega/Tiffany & Co 18K white gold watch to Elvis. This watch was actually given to him at a press event in 1961 ( picture below of him wearing it )  How did the watch make it to Phillips ?A man who had an uncle that was supposedly close to Elvis Presley actually traded Elvis a Hamilton Diamond Aventura watch to receive this one. I think that is quite interesting and this watch is definitely a piece of history and will do extremely well at auction. We will just have to wait and see how much this piece sells for. Obviously, it will be nothing close to the Rolex Paul Newman auction we saw fetch millions of dollars but I think it will do just fine.   Baselworld 2018 is approaching in March and the Rolex fans cannot wait to see what the Rolex elves have waiting for us in terms of new watch releases or shall I say new iterations of their current lineup. There has been a rumor on numerous media outlets that Rolex will produce a new Polar Dial Explorer 1 watch which is surprising. It looks slightly similiar to the Black and white ceramic daytona only without the complications. There is also news of a new Rolex Submariner with Red Text on the dial and a slimmer case profile resembling the pre-ceramic submariners most enthusiasts gravitate towards , especially the vintage collectors. Another interesting prediction is a option for an Oysterflex rubber strap on the new slimmer Rolex submariner and the addition of the new 70 hour power reserve movement added into the new Submariners. Lastly, rumors of a Triple Date Cellini Moonphase is set to be released or atleast rumored to. Stay Tuned and I will be following Baselworld 2018 with on the scene coverage. I also dropped a video below on YouTube where you can find this news and a lot of other great watch content.  Previously owned by private equity firm Leonard Green & Partners, which hired Houlihan Lokey to handle the sale, Tourneau has had declining sales and is losing market share, according to a report by Debtwire, which covers distressed debt. -New York Times The largest watch retail outlet and authorized dealer for many swiss luxury brands which has been around for 116 years and holds 33 retail locations has been sold to Bucherer. This was announced yesterday and it is not that surprising as sales for Tourneau have been steadily declining over the past few years due to the slow watch industry we know today. Tourneau was also a large seller of many high end pre-owned luxury watches as well that were extremely overpriced and frankly a rip off. ( Don’t worry you get our 2 year warranty - Watch works fine for 2 years then needs a service anyway ) Anyway, Bucherer plans to expand the Carl F. Bucherer watch and jewelry lines in all of the existing Tourneau stores and to get the brand better acquainted with the United States. Now what changes can we expect from the new ownership? I honestly have no idea but in a positive light they could start by offering more discounts on select brands besides Rolex Gold or Two Tone models...Perhaps a better employee commission? I had a few friends who have worked for Tourneau and the sales commission was just aweful as well as the hourly salary for a sales associate. I myself when I was a watch noob purchased a few watches from Tourneau at full retail while doubting the authenticity of grey market dealers offering huge discounts but no warranty. Since then, I have only gone grey market and have had zero problems so far. Anywho, the release of so many smart watches and gadgets along with smartphones keeping perfectly good time definitely hurt the luxury watch industry. Actually, the Apple watch itself has put a dent in the swiss watch industry in my humble opinion. With all that being said the Tourneau time machine on E57th street in NYC is an awesome store and a great experience to browse watches for any watch geek or enthusiast, and I do reccommend if your in the area to check that location out as it is one of the largest locations besides Las Vegas. I do hope Bucherer can succeed with this excursion and we will just have to wait and see. Thanks for reading and stay tuned! Picture of the multi level Tourneau in NYC  Some Cartier Pieces at TimeMachine     Influence behind the new watches.. These brand new releases by Breitling under new direction are inspired by the Huit Aviation Department which was active during World War II. The Navitimer 8 honors the true Breitling heritage and their huge role in producing chronographic instruments for airplanes and other machines.  Breitling has introduced 5 new watches to their lineup dubbed the Navitimer “8” collection. These watches do look quite different than your typical Breitling Navitimer though. There are 5 new models with a few variants in each model. At first glance, I personally do not like the design and aesthetic of these watches and feel that they tried to go for a semi vintage aesthetic that did not really work out.. Navitimer 8 B01 Chronograph The first addition to the Navitimer series is the B01 8 Navitimer. This watch features the in house mechanical chronograph movement B01. It is COSC certified of course and housed in a 43MM stainless steel case. The watch pictured above is the Blue dial variant in steel but keep in mind the watch does come in a rose gold case as well as a black dial with leather or bracelet. One thing I did take note of is the 100M of water resistance that this watch features which is nice to see as most modern navitimers are only rated at 50M which is generally not safe to submerge in water at all.  Shown above with Black Dial and Stainless Steel Bracelet
|
AuthorErik Martin Archives
March 2019
Categories |
RSS Feed
