As a big surprise, Blancpain and Swatch joined forces to release the Blancpain X Swatch Bioceramic Scuba Fifty Fathoms collection to celebrate the 70th anniversary of this iconic diving watch last month. While the collaboration between Omega and Swatch for the Moonswatch seemed to have a bigger impact than this new collaboration between Swatch and Blancpain —another one of the high-end brands part of the Swatch Group—, this non-limited collection composed of five different watches still had a huge impact, despite the fact that Blancpain holds a much lower brand awareness and you have to be a hardcore watch aficionado to even consider paying $400 USD for a Sistem51 Swatch.
Posts filed under Budget Brands
Introducing: Ollech & Wajs Zürich Astrochron S. Faithful Reinterpretation of the 1967 Model.
The Ollech & Wajs Astrochron story began in Zürich nearly 60 years ago, amidst history’s most ambitious era of exploration. The race to go faster, further, and deeper had the world poised at the edge of several new frontiers, the most notable being outer space. The astral realm represented the ultimate in exploration and inspired the name of the famous Ollech & Wajs 1967 ‘triple-register’ chronograph.
From the Editor: The Christopher Ward C1 Bel Canto is the Most Unexpected Watch of 2023. An Amazing Timepiece for the Price.
Without sounding like a snob, I never thought I would be featuring a Christopher Ward watch here at WCL, but the time has come. For me to talk about certain watches, these watches need to earn the right to be here, not because I think of WCL as the non plus ultra —nothing further beyond— but more than anything, because I truly believe in honest and unbiased watch content.
Introducing: Louis Erard Excellence Petite Seconde Aventurine, Malachite and Lapis-Lazuli
Louis Erard makes more than just timepieces, these are watches with a spirit. This new limited edition of the Excellence Petite Seconde with natural stones and hand-crafted glass even contains a touch of philosophy. A little shock of the times. The dialogue of eternity and the immediate, of tradition and the contemporary. The new Louis Erard Excellence Petite Seconde comes in three versions in a limited edition of 99 pieces each.
From the Editor: Finally Got an Omega x Swatch MoonSwatch. Here's What I Really Think About It.
t only took me five months and five days to finally be able to find a MoonSwatch at the Swatch Boutique at North Park Mall in Dallas, Texas. The Omega x Swatch Bioceramic MoonSwatch landed at the Swatch boutiques on March 26, 2022, a day before I headed to Switzerland for Watches & Wonders 2022. During my trip to Switzerland, I was able to peruse the MoonSwatch ‘Mission to Uranus’ —no pun intended—
Budget Watches: H992. A New Swiss Watch Brand is Born in La Chaux-de-Fonds.
A new budget brand has been born today in La Chaux-de-Fonds. Named H992, its name comes from the letter ‘H’ in horology, hour and humanity; and the number ‘992’ is the altitude of its birth place —La Chaux-de-Fonds— which is 992 meters above the sea level. Featuring a very contemporary design that seems like a hybrid between a Zenith Defy and a Hublot Integral, the new H992 is presented in a limited edition of only 992 pieces and priced at CHF 992 Swiss Francs —approximately $1,000 USD.
From the Editor: What's There Not to Love About Furlan Marri Watches
I discovered Furlan Marri last year and my first encounter in person with their watches was when I was casting my votes as one of the jurors at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève 2021. The Furlan Marri MR. Grey received the Horological Revelation Prize at the GPHG 2021 and that’s what really put the brand on the map. After six different watches they have released and as an owner of not one but two of their watches —Havana Salmon ref. 1031-A and the Mare Blu ref. 1051-A—, I can confidently say that there are many things to love about this young inexpensive brand.
Insider: CIGA Design Blue Planet. The First Chinese Watch to Ever Win at the GPHG.
The CIGA Design Series U Blue Planet is the first Chinese Made watch to ever win at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève and to make it to the shortlist of the nominees. In November 2021, the CIGA Design Blue Planet was awarded the GPHG 2021 Challenge Prize —watches priced under CHF 3,500 Swiss Francs— while competing against other ‘budget-friendly’ or affordable timepieces that included the Doxa SUB 200 C-GRAPH Caribbean, Oris Divers Sixty-Five Cotton Candy, Massena Lab Uni-Racer, Anordain Model 1-Payne’s Grey Fumé and the Furlan Marri Mr. Grey.
Budget Watches: Seven Friday P1C/04 'Caipi'. As Refreshing as a Brazilian Caipirinha.
Discussing ‘Budget Watches’ is not something we do on a very regular basis but more so every now and then whenever we find an inexpensive watch that catches our attention and that we feel is worth talking about. Since today is Friday, why not talk about the latest addition to the Seven Friday lineup. The Seven Friday P1C/04 'Caipi' is as refreshing as a Brazilian caipirinha at the end of the summer months.
Budget Watches: Montres L&JR Chronograph S1503. A Watch that Screams Independent 'Haute Horlogerie' with a Surprising Price Tag.
When we first heard about the project that Philippe Cros, Jorg Hysek Jr. and Lionel Ladoire were working on, we knew something really special would be coming out of it. One of our favorite watches from Baselworld 2018 and a watch that knocked our socks off is the new L&JR Chronograph S1503 from the just launched Montres L&JR brand. This new Swiss watch brand brings a whole new approach to the watch industry gleamed from the expertise of its three founders.
Budget Watches: Seiko Presage Cocktail Time 'Starlight' SSA361 Limited Edition. At this Price Point, Years Ago a Dial Like this was Just Too Good to be True.
For our second installment ever of Budget Watches, we've decided to bring you a watch that we have been eyeing now for a few months. Introduced back in November 2017, the new Seiko Presage collection welcomed the addition of two new watches priced under $1,000 USD and inspired by cocktails created by Hisashi Kishi, the head bartender at Tokyo's 'Star Bar' located in the heart of the Ginza area.
Budget Watches: Gorilla Fastback Forged Carbon & Black Ceramic Watch. The Watch Launched by Octavio Garcia Former Head Designer for Audemars Piguet.
Today, we're starting a new section for those budget watches that we really like. Even though this is the first time we do a hands-on review of a watch at this price point, but we are absolutely thrilled to tell you everything about it. The new Gorilla Watches were recently officially launched by Octavio Garcia —former Chief Artistic Officer at Audemars Piguet for more than a decade— and his business partner Lukas Gopp —a former employee of brands like IWC, Sector, Ralph Lauren Watches and Audemars Piguet.
