blue dial - RF Timepieces

Grand Seiko SBGV225G

admin — Wed, 02 Feb 2022 20:38:32 +0000

Seiko’s origins date to the 19th century, when in 1881 a young man named Kintaro Hattori opened a shop in central Tokyo where he started repairing and selling watches and clocks. In 1892 he founded the “Seikosha” factory, where he produced his first wall clocks. In December 1924 the first watch to have the “Seiko” name was launched, beginning the pathway of a brilliant brand. But in the 1950s it was common belief that Swiss watches were superior to Japanese, and so a group of Seiko’s watchmakers were brought together to create Grand Seiko, a brand that should be synonymous with innovation, precision, beauty and luxury. Grand Seiko’s first watch was released in 1960 and since then they have been constantly innovating, including in their movements, mechanical and quartz. Today they produce the best luxury quartz watches you can find in the market, with astounding accuracy. As in 1988, when their first quartz watch was launched, Grand Seiko still grows their own quartz crystals in-house, allowing them to have the best performance achievable. Another focus point of Grand Seiko is their renown excellency in producing eye-catching dials, as wells the famous zaratsu polishing technique which allows to achieve an almost near mirror finish on the polished surfaces. And the best part is that you can get most of these features even in their baseline models.

The timepiece presented is a Grand Seiko SBGV225G, part of the brand’s Heritage Collection and one of the entry points to Grand Seiko’s watches. But this is not “just another basic watch”. The stunning dial shows a petrol green/blue tone that changes as the light plays in its surface, and the sharpness of the hands, hour markers and date window metal frame (at 3 o’clock) really stand out. Protecting this watch’s gorgeous dial is a sapphire crystal with an anti-reflective coating on the inner surface, and with a 40mm diameter this is a piece that can easily accommodate most wrists. The case back is engraved with the brand’s famous lion emblem and powering this watch is a caliber 9F82 quartz movement that provides an impressive accuracy of ±10 seconds per year. Complementing the watch is a stainless steel bracelet with a three fold clasp and push button release, engraved with the “GS” symbol. This is a previously-owned watch, revised by an experienced watchmaker, in perfect condition and comes with a Grand Seiko travel case, as shown in the photos.

Whether you want to acquire your first Grand Seiko, or improve your watch collection with a luxury quartz timepiece that can be used daily, this is the perfect piece for you. The photos won’t do it justice, in person you can appreciate its gorgeous dial and other sharp details to a completely new level. Adaptable as a dress watch or for more casual events, this will be a real conversation starter once you lay your eyes on it.

The post Grand Seiko SBGV225G first appeared on RF Timepieces.

Cartier Roadster 2510 Limited Edition

admin — Tue, 01 Feb 2022 23:19:52 +0000

Founded in Paris in 1847 by Louis-François Cartier, Cartier is one of the most well known luxury brands in the world. It has evolved in many areas, such as luxury leather itens and perfumes, but perhaps the two main products that Cartier is mostly recognized for are high-end jewelry and luxury watches. Regarding its horological heritage, Cartier is famous for mainly two models: the Santos (created by Cartier’s founder grandson, Louis Cartier, as a special request of Alberto Santos-Dumont for his flights) and the Tank (inspired by World War I Renault FT-17 tanks and produced by Cartier since 1917). But another hidden gem is the Cartier Roadster line, launched in the early 2000s and produced until 2012. Taking inspiration from cars and motorsports, the Roaster models added a much needed sportiness and versatility to Cartier’s lines, adopting a tonneau-shaped case, firstly introduced to the watch world by Cartier itself in 1906. Being discontinued for almost 10 years, the Roadster models bring the much appreciated nostalgia wave by taking design hints from vintage luxury car models of the 50s and 60s.

The timepiece we present is a Limited Edition Cartier Roadster, serial number 2510, reference W62048v3, from around 2008 with a vibrant sunray blue colored dial and with its tonneau-shaped stainless-steel case of 37mmx44mm it’s a perfectly suitable watch for both men and women. Cartier’ large roman numerals (with the famous “Cartier” inscribed in the “V” of the numeral VII), concentric circular details, a magnified date window at 3 o’clock and luminescent hands complete this unique dial, protected by a sapphire glass. This piece is powered by Cartier Calibre 3110 automatic movement and originally offered a water-resistance of 10atm. Complementing the case is a matching stainless steel bracelet with a concealed double deployant clasp and a quick-release lug system, which will come in handy as this watch comes with a second strap in blue fabric and its own clasp, both unworn. In seconds you can change from a more formal to a sportier look, without any problems or hesitations. This piece is in excellent condition and comes in an original Cartier box, with instruction manuals, as well as extra links for the metal bracelet. It has been evaluated by a professional watchmaker and is in fine working condition.

We propose this timepiece for the vintage lovers that want an automobile inspired watch from one of the greatest Maisons around, reliable, sophisticated and also sportier than most. Adaptable to most situations with both its bracelets, this can be a good geas-turner and conversation starter for you to shine in all of its electric and radiant blue glory.

The post Cartier Roadster 2510 Limited Edition first appeared on RF Timepieces.

Bulova Vintage Wrist Alarm N2

admin — Tue, 01 Feb 2022 23:12:04 +0000

Established in 1875 by Joseph Bulova, born in the Czech Republic, Bulova started as a small store in New York City dedicated to jewellery and later developing into a large watch company. They were also the producers of the first radio advertisement broadcast in 1926 and the first ever television advertisement in 1941. Regarding Bulova’s horological advances, there are a few worth mentioning. In the 1960s one of their most important models was released, the Bulova Accutron, which was the first completely electronic watch ever developed with an accuracy of 1 minute per month. Bulova also partnered with NASA, where it provided timepieces for 46 missions, from the 1950s to the 1970s.

Throughout the years watch complications have been a focus of development by the majority of the brands. Some of the best known complications include chronographs, calendars, world timers and GMTs, which are very trendy nowadays. But one type of complication that is forgotten by many is the mechanical alarm. Perhaps the best known timepiece with an alarm is the Jaeger-LeCoultre Memovox, both in vintage as in present-day watches. But in this field Bulova was also a big contestant.

The timepiece presented dates from the 60’s and is a vintage Bulova Wrist Alarm N2 with a beautifully aged blue dial, applied hour markers, date window at 3 o’clock, hour and minute hands with aged luminescence and a white central seconds hand. If you look closely you can distinguish a separate blue alarm hand that allows its wearer to set the alarm time according to an inner blue minute track, operated by a secondary manually wound upper crown. The alarm is particularly interesting as it not only makes its noise but it is also felt by the wearer through its vibration on the wrist, also known as a “cricket alarm”. You can also hear it and its vibration when placed somewhere like on a table or nightstand. This watch is powered by a 11AURCD movement with 17 jewels and provides up to 50 hours of power reserve. Also, at 37mm in diameter it presents a great size for a vintage piece, ready to accommodate to most wrist sizes, and comes with a black leather rally strap and steel buckle.

This timepiece has been evaluated by a professional watchmaker and as it is a vintage watch we advise you to take special attention not to submit it to any water or humidity. Also, although it is working completely fine you have to remember it was built many years ago, so you should not expect time keeping accuracy similar to todays more rigorous standards.

This is not only a beautiful but also practical timepiece that vintage watch collectors will love. From a well known brand with a horological reputation, this can be your everyday vintage watch, with a size and dial colour adaptable to most of your life events, with the possibility of turning it into your bedside alarm clock.

The post Bulova Vintage Wrist Alarm N2 first appeared on RF Timepieces.