Steinhart Ocean Titanium 500 GMT Premium

Steinhart, a brand we all know and (love?). Has just announced a new watch to their popular Diver watch series dubbed the Ocean Titanium 500 GMT premium.

I don't know about you but I get a bit nervous when a company feels they have to add the word 'premium' to the end of a name. You don't see Rolex coming out with Daytona 'Premium' the brand image should already imply that it is. Steinhart, fortunately is a brand that you definitely 'get what you pay for' with. Although Steinhart watches have been reported to be delivered to the customers defective, The company will follow through on any dissatisfied customers and if you want to play it safe, you can always order from Gnomon Watches which QCs their inventory before shipping - if you don't mind having your watch ship out of Singapore.

The design of the watch is no doubt reminiscent of the Rolex GMT Master II, a pilots watch.The Steinhart is not a replica; it is an homage of the Rolex with subtle differences all around. Some people are against homages (me personally) but I believe Rolex has set a benchmark for what a diver's watch should look like and as long as Steinhart doesn't make an absolute lookalike, I am fine with that.

On to the specs of the watch. Firstly there is a satin-finished titanium case that is super lightweight (as compared to a traditional Stainless Steel one) and inside ticking away is the ETA 2893-2 movement. A respectable movement found in many different watches. Repairs and maintenance should come by pretty easily and relatively easily. The bezel is a glossy ceramic blue/black bezel with luminous material and the domed sapphire crystal is double coated with Anti-Reflective coating. Giving it a vintage feel with modern anti scratch technology. Not only is lume present on the bezel, the dial and the hands also sport luminous material making legibility at night or while diving excellent. The lume they use is reported to be Super Luminova BGW 9 which has excellent luminous properties.

The watch is 42mm in diameter which is pretty standard for divers of the sort, it is 13mm in height and weights 80g. The watch is also water resistance to 50ATM (although Steinhart ambiguously uses the wording 'waterproof' on their website). Flip the watch onto it's face and you will be greeted with an open caseback.

To me, this image is extremely disappointing. I think the brass rotating wheel makes the watch look cheap. However, this is a trend with Steinhart; they love their clear casebacks. The caseback is a sapphire crystal that allows full view into the ETA-2893-2 movement that it houses. Steinhart really should have just stuck to a solid caseback in my opinion as there is nothing special going on back there.

Expect to pay 660 euros (tax included) for this watch on the Steinhart website.

Crowd Funded Watches: UNDIVE Watches - Rugged Divers

New and upcoming brand alert! Undive watches is set to release a Kickstarter campaign in August and the company is teasing a really rugged dive watch on their website reminiscent of the divers of yesteryear. 

Rugged, stainless steel case with a brushed (or DLC) bezel accented with a beautiful blue lume along with being automatic - priced around the $500-600 ($436 Early Bird through kickstarter) makes this piece tough competition to the other microbrand divers going around. The watch reminds me of a mix between the Luminor Submersible and the Submariner taking cues from the bezel and dial respectively. 

500m of water resistance along with a helium escape valve would definitely make this a suitable watch for air/saturation diving. The helium valve in my opinion really completes the 'rugged' divers watch look suitable even for the desk diver to wear.

Be sure to head over to their website and subscribe to their campaign notification! This watch would definitely be something I can see myself go diving with! This startup brand caught my attention and I can't wait to see what else comes out of their watchworks! 

Crowd Funded Watches: LAVENTURE Marine

From the designer of watches under the brands: Audemars Piguet, Perrelet, Ebel, and many others comes a beautiful timepiece made for explorers. Limited to only a few pieces coming with a green, blue or brown dial the watch is selling out fast! The Kickstarter campaign went live on June 7 2017 and as of this writing has received $218,000 of the $58,000 goal. Looking the timepiece over, I can see why. 

The case design is reminiscent of a few Hublot watch designs with flat stainless steel surfaces and edges. The case houses an ETA 2824-2, a very robust and proven movement in both entry level and high end watches such as the Tudor Black Bay models of the past. The dial is 41mm across and the watch is water resistance of 200m. This is a watch I would love to add to my collection. Sadly, it is almost sold out and all I can do as of now is hope they bring it into production; not just the limited quantities as sold through the kickstarter campaign.

And to tie the knot, the watch comes beautifully packaged.

At CHF1570 on kickstarter (from the CHF2540 retail price) this is a steal. The quality and specifications are those of a much higher end and more expensive watch. I would really like to see this company start production full time. I'll be the first in line! But right now, I have other projects that I have to financially fund before I take the plunge for a Laventure piece.

Chronographology: Panda Dials PT2

Part Uno was iconic Panda Dial watches, now Part Dos will introduce to you some of the more affordable and easier to find Panda Dials. While in Part Tres I will compile noteworthy Semi-Panda and Reverse Panda watches.

Starting a watch collection doesn't require you to turn over seven-digits a year. And since Panda Dial watches deserve a place in every serious collector's collection, here are some affordable and easy to find Panda Dial watches.

1. Steinhart Ocean One Vintage Chronograph

Images via Steinhart.de

An obvious homage to the Rolex Daytona Paul Newman, the Steinhart Ocean One Chronograph comes in two dial configurations so you can choose the style that you like best. An ETA 2824-2 movement ticks the watch and the Dubois Depraz DD 2020 chronograph module takes care of the chronograph complication. The use of a non-chrono movement with a piggyback chronograph is what makes the dial arrangement that is true to the Daytona possible. However, this makes for a very thick watch. Coming in at a staggering 18mm thick and 42mm diameter, it is no small watch, This is alot thicker than the original Daytona. 

Image via Steinhart.de

As can be seen, much of the thickness is due to the domed sapphire crystal that protrudes out a mm or two. The domed crystal arguable isn't need but since the watch is under Steinhart's Ocean One Vintage line of watches, it is there for that 'vintage' vibe. In my opinion, Steinhart should not put this watch under the Ocean One line as it is an homage of a race chronograph, drop the domed crystal and the 10ATM water resistance rating in order to slim it up. Even if it was slimmed down to 16mm in height it would make a huge difference for someone with smaller wrists or perhaps when wearing a dress shirt with cuffs. Nevertheless, this is one of the higher quality and better looking Daytona Paul Newman Homages out in the market today and you can expect to pay around $1200 including shipping straight from Steinhart's website.

2. Hamilton X-Patrol H76566351

Although not a true Panda Dial watch, this piece still deserves a shout out. Featuring the all reliable, trustworthy ETA 7750 chronograph movement along with day/date complication and a Pilot's slide rule on the inner bezel, this is an attractive everyday sporty watch from the American owned Swiss brand Hamilton.

Image via Hamilton

Expect to pay around $1000 give or take a few depending where you purchase it from. A place where you can buy this watch is walmart's website (yes walmart).

3. Seiko/Citizen Modern Pandas

Seiko/Citizen has produced a bunch of Panda Dial or Semi-Panda watches recently and although some of them don't truly carry the heritage of the racing chronographs mentioned in PT1 of this series, they nevertheless are 'close enough'.
Here are a few references that you can search for:

SBPY085
SSB003P1
SSC446
SSC569
AV0031-59A


There just aren't that many true Panda Dial watches floating around right now and in the affordable category. If you have a lower budget, your best bet is to scour eBay for vintage Seiko or Citizen pieces or save up for a more expensive Speedmaster Racing Panda Dial. I will continue to add to this list in order to help all of you achieve your quest of owning a Panda Dial timepiece!

Last Edited: 6/23/17

Chronographology: Panda Dials PT1

In the horology world, nothing is more iconic than the chronograph panda dial. Arguably made famous by the Rolex 'Paul Newman' Daytona, the Panda Dial deserves a home in every collector's collection. Not only are they iconic, Panda Dial watches are also elegant, sporty and make a perfect watch for many occasions. I will be making multiple posts on Panda Dials from true, iconic panda dials to affordable pieces and semi-panda dial pieces. Stay tuned.

1. Rolex Daytona 'Paul Newman' ref. 6239

Try not to get lost in his eyes - Paul Newman wearing the iconic Rolex Daytona Panda Dial ref.6239. Most which goes for $90,000+. This specimen is selling for a staggering $170,000! The original Paul Newman Daytona (as seen in this photo) has recently surfaced (as of the time of this writing) and is waiting to go on auction.

Image via Antiquorum

Pictured here are two Daytonas. One sells for around $30,000 and the other around $100,000. Why this difference even though both are ref.6239? The one on the right is a Paul Newman Daytona (albeit reverse panda dial). They are both mechanically and fundamentally the same watch. The only difference lies in the dial.

Image via Hodinkee

A close up of a Paul Newman ref.6241. As you can see the subdials are different. The dial features an art deco style font and the hash marks have a small square at the end. The main dial also features a red colour to mark each stripe. When first released, these dials were considered funky and did not sell well as compared to the regular Daytona. Hence why it is so rare now. So why is the Paul Newman Daytona so coveted and considered the 'grail' chronograph for many collectors?

Paul Newman, a race car driver, philanthropist and actor was first seen wearing this watch on an Italian magazine cover. Ever since then it's popularity has exploded over the years with collectors all over the world. 

You can read more about this at: Hodinkee


2. Citizen 8110 'Bullhead' ref.67-9356

I am going to come out and say it right now: I have a soft spot for Panda Dial watches. I also have a soft spot for Bullhead watches. So what happens when both come together? A watch that I have been scouring the internet and also Japan vintage watch stores (during my trips to Japan) for.

Image via Anteus of thewatchsite.com

Image via wornandwound

Image via wornandwound

The Citizen 8110 'Challenge Timer' or more popularly the 'Bullhead' and it's variants represent a time in horology that represents adventurous watch makers - coming up with new designs and beautiful ones at that. The Bullhead design is without a doubt an ambitious pusher and crown layout that is quite rare in modern times, however present a classical and unique look that (in my opinion) is timeless. The Citizen 8110 'Bullhead' is just that. An adventurous, ambitious attempt at a race chronograph from a Japanese watch maker that perfectly captures the spirit of watch making in the mid 20th century and is worthy of a mention on this list. To make things even better, the movement these houses are 23-jewel 28,800 bph automatic flybacks with day/date complication, 40hr power reserve and hand winding ability. This is a very rare complication and makes this watch a beautiful timepiece both outside and inside.

As of the time of this writing, I have not yet found a Citizen Bullhead that is in a condition that I like yet, but I will continue searching in hopes of it popping up. These pieces go for as low as $200 and high as $1000 dependent on condition. Most however are not well loved and are in need of restoration.


3. Heuer Autavia 

ref.2446C via HEUERTIME

Another iconic racing chronograph that trails the Daytona. The Autavia has many different variants and dial configurations over the years which includes a Panda Dial (pictured above), Reverse Panda Dial and even Semi-Panda Dials. 

via HEUERTIME

The Autavia, to modern consumers delight has been re-released by Tag Heuer in 2003 and 2017. Which means that for the person who doesn't want to spend big on a vintage specimen can finally get their hands on a re-issued one that holds true to the spirit and heritage of the original.

via MonoChrome Watches

via Calibre11

The Autavia is no doubt an iconic time piece, and one that will stay iconic for years to come. There are many variants and different complications of the Autavia that will not be mentioned here, however more information can be found at Calibre11.

4. Omega Speedmaster 3569.31

Ah. The Omega Speedmaster. A timeless chronograph that arguably could be the most iconic of them all. In 2003, the icon got a makeover. A panda dial variant was released to the Japanese market in a limited quantity of 300 pieces. Dubbed, the 'Mitsukoshi, this watch is also one of the most faked Speedmasters around with many people modding a moonwatch with panda dial and passing it off as the original.

Modded Speedmaster via Heuerville

Omega also released a similar Panda Dial Speedy in 2004 - limited to 3,500 pieces the Speedmaster ref.3569.31 Apollo 11 35th Anniversary had a very similar dial and is much more attainable even at the time of this writing. Making it a feasible option for the collector who doesn't have the luxury to get their hands on one of the original 'Mitsukoshi' specimens. 

Image via wornandwound

Omega also released a Panda Dial variant of the Speedmaster Reduced watch. The Speedmaster Automatic 3510.21 'Marui' was released in limited numbers of under 2000 pieces in the Japanese market (why does Japan always get the good watches?) and is considerably rare. If one does turn up however, expect to pay around $2000-3500 for one. 

3510.21 via ChicagoFrog of OmegaForums

And finally we come to the easiest to obtain Speedmaster Panda Dial of them all: Speedmaster Racing Automatic ref.326.30.40.50.04.001 that is still currently on sale as of the time of this writing. Although it is pretty far from the Moonwatch derivative 'Mitsukoshi' and least resembles a Moonwatch Panda Dial, it nevertheless is a Speedmaster with a Panda Dial. Expect to pay around $2600 to $3000 dependent on strap choice and dealer. 

via WatchTurf

5. Heuer Carrera 2447SN

Another Heuer racing chronograph in the list! The Carrera is the epitome of chronograph design in the 1960s. They are versatile and classic chronographs that could be worn with a formal dress or worn while ripping through Daytona International Speedway at 200mph.

via HeuerWorld

At an elegant 36mm, this is one of the smaller chronographs. A huge contrast to the 48mm Breitling Avengers of today. This watch came from a time when men wore smaller, more elegant watches. When 40mm watches were considered big. An even though the dial is not a true panda white/black, more of the silver/black the 2447SN deserves a mention as the Panda effect is still present and it is an elegant specimen that has collectors all the world coveting for one.