Stan Yiu
Australia
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Bio not provided
@Ulysses31 You are making the assumption that every person who purchase these watches are doing so with a deep love and fascination for mechanical timepieces. I have more than a few personal experiences with folks who does not even know what the heck they are buying, besides that it is expensive, or the sales person recommended it.
I disagree with the author in that the off-set dial is what set this what apart from the rest of the pilot watch. If this has a traditionally orientated dial I wouldn't give this a second look, as it will seem to be to be quite generic. Attractive, yes. But generic. But the offset dial is something different, and it makes me desire it just because it is different. I would definitely pass on this otherwise. Now I actually would want to purchase this, and the monopusher chronograph is just the icing on the cake.
Pretty great looking line of watches these Burberry Britain. Borrowing the Gerald Genta design was a good move for a fashion watch brand. The highlight for me would definitely be the Power Reserve with the gunmetal finish and tan alligator strap. Nice work Burberry!
I wonder how much the PVD chronograph will cost?
Definitely a step back for the Aquaracer line. I'd never really been a fan of Aquaracer until their WAJ series. They are masculine, sporty, and are perfectly sized. Their rubber bezels are the highlight for me. What was a focused dive watch in the WAJ series Tag Heuer has diluted in the WAK just so they can say this can be a "dress" watch. What a shame.
Hi all. My name is Stan, and I'm from Sydney Australia. I am a laboratory Scientist at a major Sydney University, specializing in Microbiology. I suppose my love for watches (as well as jackets, sunglasses, and other accessories) came from movies and TV shows. When I accidentally came across a webpage detailing the watches worn by Daniel Craig in Casino Royale, I was at first shocked at the price of those pieces (I was a G-shock man back then, as I was in the military), but then was captivated by the technology behind it. As I dive deeper into the world of horology I found ablogtoread.com, and I was thoroughly entertained by the Ariel's outsider, or should I say, non-industry point of views. Since then this is my go-to site for any watch related information.
Of course I love Omega, now even more so as they have improved upon their quality and finishes of their pieces. Breitling is another brand I have a deep fondness for. I hope to add to my collection a Bremont Mustang P51and a IWC Pilot chronograph Top Gun ed. in the near future. Over the past weeks I have been rotating between my Navitimer, Planet Ocean, Casio G-Shocks, as well as a few Marina Militare that I'd use to scratch my Panerai itch.
All I want to add is Ariel, keep up the good work mate! Your contribution to the world of horology is much appreciated, especially in the way that you tell it like it is. I enjoy a glowing review of a deserving timepiece as much as the next guy, but it is your reviews of silly pieces/practices/ideas that I get a real kick out of.
@antjay I think that is being a bit unfair mate. The man is 60 years old. Of course he'll need some help in his workout. The fact that he's still busting his balls to be in the shape that he is right now so he can still make all these awesome action films is a testament to his discipline and dedication. And if you don't remember, he wasn't exactly a sloth when he was younger either.
Haters will always hate. That's the fact of life. But if you're really going to diss the concept of high end timepieces than I think you're visiting the wrong website mate.
@Ulysses31 I agree. But beside that I still think the man is a total legend. I love that he just seem to take the fame and all that comes along with it (the good and the bad) in his stride. Not to mention his dedication to his health and fitness (he's in better shape at 60+ yrs old then most of us can ever dream of), and his sense of style. Let's face it, the world will be a worse off place without Rambo, Rocky, and The Expendables. Oh and he's a watch aficionado! Almost forgot. Ha!
From the promotional stills it looks like Stallone and his crew are all wearing the Panerai PAM382 Luminor 1950 Submersible "Bronzo".
I never thought I would even consider wearing a Diesel watch....but I will totally rock these bad boys! Cool designs, great tie-ins, these are not to be taken seriously, but worn with your casual attire on a weekends, would make great conversation starters.
Just so you know Ariel, you've made a typo with the price of this watch. It seems you've accidentally added an extra zero to the price. I mean $15 000 for this watch would be just hilarious! Right?....
@Ulysses31 I understand what you mean. I appreciate a good technological breakthrough in the world of horology as much as the next guy. I mean if we are not excited by the next mechanical marvel that transcends the industry then we wouldn't be reading this blog. However we are not talking about Greubel Forsey here, or MB&F, or Urwerk, or any of the aforementioned independent brands that specialise in highly exclusive technological marvels, with a price to match. We are talking about Omega, an (previously) entry level luxury brand, and the Planet Ocean model which is still considered to be a affordable tool watch for the everyday folks. I believe the innovations that has been injected into the new PO (Ceragold, Ceramic/Liquid metal bezels, individually set hour hand etc) are inline with the target customers base of this model and the activity that they would like to participate whilst wearing it, whose demands a certain level of musculinity, durability, and style that the PO affords.
Yes Omega can pump in a toubillon or 4 into the Planet Ocean. They can squeze in a rattrapante + a flyback function + a 1/1 000 of a second capability into their chronograph. Hell for the sake of innovation why don't they install a mechanical device that can record high/low tide times? Now as a Planet Ocean wearer myself, would this watch still be a "Planet Ocean"? No. It is not. Do I want any of the technologies I'd mentioned on my watch? No. Am I excited that my favourite watch now comes with a new in-house made movement that is more accurate, a highly scratch resistant ceramic bezel /ceragold case that will enable my pride and joy to look new for much longer, and a hour hand that has a second time zone complication built in? Yes. Very much so.
And how much do you think a Planet Ocean with a hot-off-the-press technological marvel complication will cost the average consumer? A lot more than the current MSRP I surmise.
The old arguements of "oh the watch brands are getting boring and not making enough breakthroughs" and "they are just doing the same thing over and over again" are used abit too liberally. Yes Rolex are doing the same thing over and over again, the Planet Ocean does not look different enough to the previously models, Hublot are just a one trick pony. But guess what? They sell! People want what these companies are putting out, and the reason is because people like what they have been doing all along. Is it good business sense to drastically transform what was already a winning formula? I don't have a MBA, but I'd hazard a guess that it would not be a good idea to do so.
As Ariel stated on one of his Podcast, there really hasn't been any true new complications being invented in recent time. Their are reimagining and upgrades to existing complications, but not "true" new innovations in terms of time telling functionality and complications. If there are, or if anyone have any good ideas, I would love to hear about them.
@Greblixx Really? So the fact that the new Planet Ocean has a brand new in-house made movement, sapphire display back, dual counter chronograph vs. tricompax layout of old, and a independently adjustable hour hand still does not qualify as "enough" changes to an updated model? Well I don't know what you deem to be worthy changes then. Would you and Ulysses31 prefer an entire redesign to the popular Planet Ocean range?
To me the new Planet Ocean took what was brilliant about the old watch (design, co-axial escapment, sizes), and updated it with new and improved technologies that are more than just cosmetic. Yes they look the same with just cursory inspection, but to those who know and appreciate the intricacy of fine mechanical timepieces, the updates are pretty impressive, and much more comprehensive than most other brand at this price point.
Oh man I need this in my life!!!
Great photos Ariel. Usually I don't give watches with gold components a second look, but these are done SO very well! The black and red gold strikes a perfect balance that doesn't scream out (John Bigg's favourite descriptive term) ostentatious. I would certainly avoid the all gold bracelet (if it does happen) and stick with the elegant croc strap.
Pricing is still too steep IMHO, but these models are the first in Omega's new range that come close to justifying their immense cost.
Being an Australian myself I would love nothing more than to show my patriotism and purchase this watch, but I cannot in good conscience bring myself to go near this....thing. This is just no cohesion to anything happening on the design of the dial or the watch in general. Is this another one of those "Kickstarter" creation, like the Tatooine watch?
I would gladly laid down the dough for Mr Hudspeth's military version. IWC in-house designers: You got SERVED!
One word came to mind after viewing the collection: Busy. There's just a lot going on with the dial, maybe too much. This is especially so for the perpetual calender. On top of all those numbers and letters,the weird "perpetual calender" symbol and the 2 planes on either side are superfluous, and adds nothing to the design. IMHO remove those two elements, and place their IWC logo in their place. Tradiational, yes. Boring? Prehaps. But it certainly would go a long way in restoring some semblance of coherence to what would otherwise be a great dial design.
Thanks for another great article Ariel! I agree with your point that IWC is definitely going for a more classic, understated look with their 2012 Pilot collection (I can actually picture them on a real live military pilot's wrist), but I'm worried that they may have taken that idea abit too far. From what you've shown here there seem to be more "m'eh" than "Wow". However the Spitfire Perpetual Digital Date-Month Calendar certainly belongs in the "Wow" category. And a in-house movements certainly is a big plus....and I'm sure that goes for the price as well.
Keep them coming mate!