The New Seiko Giugiaro Design Chronograph with Astron GPS is here

Japanese watchmaker Seiko has recently unveiled the new rebooted version of the Seiko Giugiaro Design Chronograph which is an affordable wristwatch designed by studio Italdesign Giugiaro and comes with Astron GPS.

Back in 1983, the company started making this unusually designed watches with asymmetric casing and was styled by Italian automobile designer Giorgetto Giugario. The reason behind such a design was to make it easier to access and use the chronograph buttons while driving.

The new Seiko Seiko Giugiaro Design Chronograph is based on the design patterns of its first 1983 model that is a bit protruded towards the right. The watch case measure 46.3mm in diameter with black-coated titanium and a black ceramic bezel with a tachymeter movement.

The distinct black dial has got some slight color accents of red and green representing the Italian flag. The dial acts as a solar panel giving power energy for the 8×82 movement and syncs one day in a month with the GPS satellite for spot-on time keeping.

In case there in no satellite range, it might run up to 15 minutes in a month and so. In addition to the normal time-keeping functionality, this watch can show calendar, second-time-zone, and some world time functions.

The Seiko Seiko Giugiaro Design Chronograph with Astron GPS will be made available in May 2017, for a price of €3250 internationally and ¥324,000 in Japan.

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Gruppo Gamma MKIV Vanguard | Watch Review

Gruppo Gamma MKIV Vanguard

Many here know I have long been a supporter of Gruppo Gamma. They continue to improve their watches and the Gruppo Gamma Vanguard MKIV is no different. With this latest release, there a couple of firsts for the brand. One is the 42mm case size, their smallest to date; an exhibition case back is another and a super sandwich dial. The quality, as usual, is there, especially for the price, and I will discuss all of this below. The look is there for sure, but is it the best from Gruppo Gamma?

 Gruppo Gamma MKIV Vanguard Specifications:

• Stainless steel, brushed
• Case Width: 42mm
• Lug to Lug: 52mm
• Case Thickness: 14mm. With Crystal, 15.5mm
• Lug Width: 22mm
• Sapphire Crystal
• Seiko Instruments NH35A Automatic Movement
• 140 g with strap
• Water Resistance: 200 m/ 660 ft

Price: $499 ($399 During Preorder)

http://www.gruppogammawatches.com/vanguard.html

Gruppo Gamma started out making much larger size watches, as that is what their fan base at the time wanted. I believe 47mm is the largest they made, but I could be off a mm or two. Keep in mind, Gruppo Gamma is still a reletively small company, and it took a few years for them to get the word out. As more and more people started to notice the brand, an ongoing question was, ‘ Will you make a watch under 44mm?” Once the brand saw that there was definite interest that would translate into sales for a 42mm piece, they went ahead with it. The Gruppo Gamma MKIV Vanguard is a collaberation of sorts. Listening to their customers, or potential customers I should say, they shifted to, at least for this model, seemingly ever growing demographic that does not want a gigantic wristwatch.

I would say I am firmly in that demographic. It took me a long time to get here. Not as long as some others, but over the years, I found myself enjoying smaller and smaller wristwatches. I have not jumped into vintage sizing yet, like under 40mm, but many moons ago, 48mm or larger was the norm for me. I have found that 42mm is my sweet spot, and even though Gruppo Gamma MKIV Vanguard case style wears a little larger than that, this would be the perfect Gruppo Gamma for me, in terms of overall dimensions. The case is still a little on the chunky side, like a short fat guy, but a lot of that is more in perception than reality. The way the case bezel and case are constructed, it gives off the appearance of it being thicker than it really is.

There are 3 variations of the Gruppo Gamma MKIV Vanguard, the brushed stainless no date I show in this review, a date version, and a no date all PVD version. I chose this all brushed no date version as I like the contrast of the PVD bezel against the steel, and also I think it is the cleanest or most sterile looking of them all. There is no doubt that they designed this watch with minimalism in mind, a rugged but good looking piece that does not have any extra added to it. So then why did they do an exhibition case back? Good question. I am not really sure of the reasoning behind it. I always applauded Gruppo Gamma for doing the engraved or stamped case backs, whether it was just the brand name, or the skull and rose emblem of some past models. When I flip this Vanguard over and see the plain looking NH35, it just leaves me a little cold. The movement itself is fine, as far as it is a decent automatic movement, not the best, not the worst and it should hold up well. But I always enjoyed a Gruppo Gamma case back, so I was a little disappointed here.

The dial of the the Gruppo Gamma MKIV Vanguard is far from disappointing though. Instead of just going with a regular sandwich dial, Gruppo Gamma decided to up the game and went SUPER SANDWICH! (Said in a loud tone like a boxing announcer would). A normal sandwich dial is a bottom dial that has a few layers of lume paint applied to the markers and numerals, and a top dial with the cutouts. This is similer, but the lume material is filled in, allowing for the strongest lume that Gruppo Gamma has ever produced.

The lume is absolutely fantastic as you can see, and while lume is not the measure of a great watch, there is definitely that cool factor when you wake up a 3 am and the damn thing is still like a flashlight.

As usual, the Gruppo Gamma MKIV Vanguard comes in a zippered pouch and two straps. I can easily say that both included straps are by far the best they have ever produced. I wore the canvas for the first week or so, and did not want to take it off. This is true canvas, with rolled edges and no leather backing to be found. Super comfortable right out of the box, and this will only get better looking in time as it gets a little rough around the edges. I reluctantly switched to the leather strap one cold winters day and I could not have been more happy that I did. I am very picky when it comes to leather straps. I can go on and on about leather and watch straps but I will spare you all of that. Suffice to say, this strap is beautiful, well finished, and wraps around your wrist from day one. It also does not stain your wrist, like some improperly dyed straps tend to do. I might still lean towards the canvas, but it is close, very close.

Lets get to the negatives. While both straps are of great quality, they are on the short side. Both would possibly just fit an 8 inch wrist, although that may be stretching it. It you have a wrist 7 3/4 inch or larger, this watch on the included straps will probably not fit you. I know brands can not make custom straps for each customer, and I know their has to be some kind of compromise, but I would like to see longer straps if possible. When it comes to the bezel, it is firm, precise and ratchets nicely. I have no issue with it being sterile, as I do not time things with a bezel. All that said, the Gruppo Gamma MKIV Vanguard bezel is rather difficult to grip, as there are no grooves anywhere and I find that I have to weirdly hold the extended portions to turn it. Some knurling on those parts would have made a world of difference.

The microbrand watch world continues to grow, and as a consumer, it can be overwhelming. Some brands are here today, gone tomorrow, some do not evolve, and others are just there. Gruppo Gamma seems to strive for the best, and offer a value at the same time. Yes, I know the NH35 brings it down a notch for some people. I would rather a Miyota 9015 or a SW200 as well. Some will say that because the movement is rather inexpensive that the Gruppo Gamma MKIV is overpriced at the retail price of $500. That of course is their opinion. When you take a look at the quality of the case construction, the two high quality straps and the super sandwich dial, you can see that nothing is off the shelf here, and Gruppo Gamma is committed to making the best product they can. The aesthetic of this model might not be for everyone, and personally I think I might like their Divemaster series a little more, but this a great watch in its own right and just more proof that Gruppo Gamma listens to their customers feedback.

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Introducing the New Chopard Mille Miglia 2017 Race Edition

The famous Chopard Mille Miglia racing collection was born out of Karl-Friedrich Scheufele’s love for automobiles and car’s and is named after the Mille Miglia racing event that takes place every year.

This limited-edition timepiece collection from Chopard has always featured watches built with the finest quality craftsmanship and the most experienced hands in horology delivering the superior combination of elegance with powerful performance.

The 2017 Chopard Mille Miglia Race Edition was recently unveiled at the BaselWorld 2017 event. The watch features uniquely different design elements over its previous models as the 2017 edition has been inspired by the vintage car patterns of its car engines, fuel caps, and the dashboard pattern and styling.

Having a look at its dial, the limited-edition watch has got a nice silver-tone dial with tachymeter bezels made with an aluminum finish. The dial surface design represents the car dashboard finish and the bright red color introduced blends perfectly well with the overall design.

The chronograph sub-dials are positioned slightly different at the 6-9-12 o’clock positions over the conventional 3-6-9 o’clock positions. The chronograph sub-dial at the 6 o’clock position shows the hour, while at 9 o’clock position it shows seconds and similarly at 12 o’clock position it shows minutes. The date indicator along with the MIGLIA marking is placed at the 3 o’clock position.

The watch has got a 44mm stainless steel case which might look huge considering many other watches at sub 40mm casing. The extended lugs give a better and firm grip to the for the black rubber strap on the watch.

The Chopard Mille Miglia 2017 Race Edition comes with self-winding movements with a sufficiently good power reserve of 48 hours. The movements are completely covered by steel back case with an engraving of the Mille Miglia logo and the watch number.

This limited edition watch from Chopard is priced at $6840.

 

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Melbourne Sorrento | Watch Review

Melbourne Sorrento Watch Review

It’s been some time since I’ve had an opportunity to take a look at a watch from the Melbourne Watch Company. Direct from Melbourne Watch Company, their focus is to utilize quality materials such as surgical grade 316L stainless steel, scratch resistant sapphire crystals and high grade mechanical movements. The company strives to offer watches to consumers at an affordable price.One of if not the newest release from the company is the Sorrento. Based I what I could recall about their watches, I anticipated a fairly solid and satisfying watch with the Sorrento. There are three variations of the Sorrento and this review will focus on the blue dial. 

Melbourne Sorrento Specifications:

• Case Size – 42mm 316L Stainless Steel
• Case Thickness – 14mm
• Lug to Lug Distance – 50mm
• Lug Width – 22mm
• Movement – Miyota Cal. 9015 high-beat automatic
• Crystal – Flat Sapphire
• Functions – 12-hour time, dive bezel
• Water Resistance – 200m/20ATM (Screw Down Crown)
• Warranty – 24 Months

Price $728 USD 

https://www.melbournewatch.com.au/

When I was contemplating how to approach my review on the Sorrento, I figured I would break the watch down into Pros versus Cons. I will go right ahead up front and state more pros than cons with the very cool Sorrento. Those of you that have read some of my past reviews are probably aware that I am a dive watch kind of guy. Also, the more “toolish” the dive watch the better in my book. So, jumping right in first and foremost I consider this watch to be extremely versatile but not a “tool” or industrial style diver. The case combines both brushed and high polished finishes so this watch could definitely be considered by many including myself as a dress dive style watch. I would not hesitate to throw it on with a pair of jeans or some shorts, etc. If you are a “tool” or industrial dive watch kinda guy like me, I still believe this watch might grow on you over time as I admit I have greatly enjoyed it.

Next up with the pros is the bezel. I have to admit while I am listing the bezel as a pro, personally I have both love and hate feelings about it. The bezel is flat out cool looking giving the Sorrento a significant amount of flair with the machined wave design. I love the way it looks. However, I suggest being extremely cautious with the bezel. I have marked up standard bezels before and in many instances any damage doesn’t always seem to be too noticeable. Unfortunately, I rubbed the bezel on the Sorrento up against a door frame and the mark just seems far more noticeable to me thus my hate feelings toward the bezel. The cool factor still outweighs the delicacy factor.

Pro number three has to be the ceramic dial. The Sorrento I believe is the second watch model from the company to sport this type of dial. I’m not entirely certain what makes a ceramic dial any better than any other type of dial material but it sure sounds special doesn’t it? I guess it just adds a level of sophistication and uniqueness as ceramic, while used frequently with bezels, isn’t found all the time as the dial material. I really appreciate the depth that central ceramic disk adds to the watch. One thing for certain, the ceramic isn’t going to scratch if that matters to anyone.

Movement and the bracelet are the other pros in my humble opinion. The Sorrento is powered by the ever popular and reliable Miyota 9015 automatic. Some folks just will not buy anything but Swiss but I personally do not believe the 9015 can be beat for the cost. Swiss movements are starting to get rather pricey and finding a watch under $1000 with an ETA and great quality is becoming more and more rare. So some may actually consider the overall cost of the Sorrento a hidden pro based on the quality movement and other specifications. I am not a bracelet guy any longer as I have developed a taste for custom leather straps and Isofrane dive straps but I love the bracelet on the Sorrento. The bracelet is 22mm at the lugs but tapers slightly just below the lugs to around 21mm all the way through to the clasp. The links are assembled using single sided screws which happens to be my personal favorite. I know I’ve heard it all before, what if you strip the female side of a link? Just be careful! The single sided screws are so much easier to size and if you are like me with a not so steady hand, this is the preferable design in order to prevent scratching up the sides of the links. The bracelet also uses quick release pins so no more scratching up the bottom of the lugs. I’m not sure why more watch companies are not using this type of setup.   

There is really only one solid con to the Sorrento. While my love/hate feelings with the bezel might also be considered a con, I can overlook the hate side due to the “cool” factor. So what’s the con? The lume is just not all that great compared so some dive watches I have seen. Initially, the lume is strong but it fades out rather quickly. The issue might be the use of Japanese super-lume rather than C3 Superluminova or BGW9. I might also suggest adding significant lume to the bezel markers. Is the lume a deal breaker? Nah. I’m not certain the Sorrento is the type of watch that a professional diver is going to take on any significant dive. The amount of lume the watch provides is going to provide adequate luminosity such as in darkened rooms, movie theaters or the like.

The Sorrento is a reasonably priced micro-brand dive style watch. The model is comparable to or even exceeds the quality of other dive style watches in this price range. If you are looking for a dress style diver this option may be a great option. Dress it up or dress it down, it can really go either direction. I hope the Melbourne Watch Company keeps producing quality watches with this level detail at a reasonable price point. I admit I would like to see more dive style watches. I would like to thank the Melbourne Watch Company for working with WatchReport on this review. 

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