Month: April 2015

Born in 1976, the free diver Austrian Christian Redl fell in love with water as a young boy. He holds several world free-diving records: the Breitling replica watches most impressive being the longest ever swim under ice (100 metres), although his crossing of several underwater caves in Mexico cannot be forgotten.

In February 2015, 38 year old Redl and Australian photographer and cameraman Markus Fillinger (the first person to dive at both the North and South Poles set out on a trek from Canada to the North Pole, on an expedition codenamed Mission North Pole, the world’s first free dive under ice at the geographic North Pole. Average temperatures in February at the North Pole are -40C and the seawater beneath the ice -33C.

Equipped only with a 3mm neoprene wetsuit, and the Edox Hydro Sub North Pole Limited Edition, water-resistant to 500m, the diver beat the record of 60 metres in water at barely 2 degrees, a daunting challenge at a depth where oxygen is rarified.

Redl faced extreme, life threatening cold, unstable ice, where one slip could lead to oblivion. And sleeping in a tent in the middle of polar bear territory. The expedition, across the Arctic ice, required Redl and Fillinger to venture out from the base camp to setup a spot to complete the dive. To do so, they used Siberian huskies that walk ahead of them, because the dogs can detect thin ice using their sense of smell, effectively steering them away from dangerously thin ice that they could fall into.

The Hydro Sub is a limited edition timepiece, limited to 515 pieces, especially developed by Edox to cope with the extreme conditions the pair faced. The Swiss replica watches features a unique moveable crown protector to protect the crown mechanism from the extremes of cold and ice.

Redl and Fillinger spent weeks in the Arctic acclimatising to the bitter conditions they faced at the Pole, with Redl also honing his frigid water diving techniques at Lake Weissensee in the Austrian Alps.

“On the way down it was dark; the depth is around 2000 metres but on the way up it was just beyond words – the visibility was endless. The ice was green and black – just like the green of the new watch. I want to say ‘thank you’ everybody for the support but a special thanks to Marcus Fillinger – without him it would be impossible!” Christian Redl

The Edox Hydro-Sub performed flawlessly in the icy and difficult conditions. The model worn by Redl and Fillinger at the North Pole is an updated version that pays homage to the original while incorporating state-of-the-art 21st century engineering. The standard model features an orange and blue color scheme versus blue and lime green on the limited model. The LE version comes with a special blue dial, white applied hour markers and a lime green second hand.

The imposing 46mm 316L stainless steel watch is powered by an Edox 80 automatic movement, based on the Sellita SW-200 automatic mechanical movement, which beats at 4Hz, has 26 jewels and a power reserve of 38-hours (comparable to an ETA 2824-2). The bezel is made from steel and aluminum and rotates uni-directionally to mark dive times.

The engraved case-back features a view of the earth as seen from the North Pole, an individual cheap replica watches number and an inscription marking the Hydro-Sub’s 50th anniversary.

Specifications

Hydro-Sub 50th Anniversary Limited Edition
Calibre: Edox 80, based on SW 200
Case: stainless steel case 316L, blue MasterLock
Finishes: steel and aluminium rotating bezel, limited numbering and exclusive North Pole engraving on the caseback
Diameter: 46mm
Water resistance: 500 meters
Dial: special blue dial, white and green markers and details
Bracelet: stainless steel 316L and folding clasp, black rubber with embossed Edox hourglass logo also available
Limited Edition: 515 pieces worldwide
Available worldwide
Price: $2,395.00

I recently reviewed the Alpina Extreme Diver 300 Chronograph Automatic, for my online replica watches magazine, Escapement. As you’ll see in my review, re-presented here, this divers’ watch offers robust construction, a chronograph and incredible value for money.

My son, Euan, is 15 years old and, in my opinion, should consider destruct-testing products as a possible career choice once he leaves school. Throughout his childhood he has always exhibited a profound talent at breaking objects. An item may appear perfectly serviceable until it falls into the hands of my son, after which it is resigned to traumatic treatment that invariably results in devastation.

My first recollection of Euan’s innate ability to destroy items harks back to a summer holiday. En route to our hotel, he proceeded to describe his spectacles as loose before handing me a collection of parts. They would prove beyond repair and a hasty detour was necessary — a visit to an optician to source a speedy replacement.

Mobile phones, of which there have been many, have disintegrated. Headphones, invariably welded to his ears wherever he ventures, often succumb to strain. Indeed, we have just purchased his 12th pair. It doesn’t seem to matter how much an item costs; a brief association with Euan results in that item’s future life on a landfill site somewhere in Northern England.

When Euan asks if he can borrow one of my cherished timepieces, I do suffer an overwhelming sense of anxiety. Nevertheless, with repeated pestering, I generally accede to his request.

Recently, I tried on a very handsome Alpina divers’ watch and now think I have discovered a timepiece ideally suited to Euan and the harsh treatment he seems predisposed to mete out.

I have always had a penchant for divers’ watches, with their robust construction, capable of withstanding pressures at near unfathomable depths, and their hardy exteriors, able to shrug off minor impacts. In the case of this latest replica watches from Alpina, it’s hewn-from-granite solidity is paired with one of my favorite complications, the chronograph. The complication is incredibly useful, capable of timing an event, making it an ideal companion in this competitive world.

On the face it of it, the Alpina Extreme Diver 300 Chronograph Automatic has two distinct attributes that I cherish dearly. I just wonder whether this watch is Euan-proof.

The dial:

By pairing a black dial with white dial detail, Alpina has established the foundations of a successful marriage. In the case of the Extreme Diver 300, the legibility and ease of read-off is augmented by a number of expertly executed design elements.

The bicompax layout grants a highly agreeable balance and proportion to the dial. The subdials are adorned with a combination of white Arabic numerals and simple white strokes.

The hour hand features a silver border and the minutes hand, a red border. Both are lined with an expanse of white luminescent material. The central chronograph seconds hand is white with a red counterweight featuring the brand’s red triangular emblem.

The hour markers are circular dots, again lined with luminescent material. Encircling the dial is a chapter ring that’s clean and simple to read.

An elongated, curved aperture reveals the date, with the neighboring values visible above and below.

The case:

Measuring 44 mm in diameter and constructed of stainless steel, this timepiece exudes a masculine, sturdy appearance. The case cleverly fuses circular and angular lines, surpassing the functional and delivering a truly handsome aesthetic.

The unidirectional bezel is highly polished and incorporates a black PVD inlay. Highly polished bolts, featuring triangular recesses, punctuate the bezel. Although quite attractive, I can envisage debris accumulating in the triangular shaped cavities, but this is only a minor criticism.

Ordinarily, a solid caseback is de rigueur for a diver’s cheap Breitling replica watches, however the Extreme Diver 300 features a sapphire crystal. This is highly unusual for a diver’s watch with a maximum water resistance of 300 meters, but an aspect of the specification I particularly appreciate. I never tire of seeing the mechanical heart of a timepiece, industriously at work.

The beveled edge of the screwed-in caseback enhances free movement of the wrist and delivers excellent wearer comfort.

The crown features a black textured grip delivering both delightful tactility and an attractive appearance.

Would-be buyers are offered a choice of a three-row stainless steel bracelet, steel Milanese bracelet, or rubber strap. I had the good fortune to try the latter variant on my wrist and appreciated its design. The deployant had a quality feel and closed with a firm, positive action.

The movement:

Alpina’s Caliber AL-725 is a self-winding movement. It has a frequency of 28,800 vph (4 Hz), contains 25 jewels and holds a power reserve of 46 hours. It is based on the Sellita SW500 movement, a well-respected chronograph movement, known for its reliable service.

The oscillating mass has a contemporary appearance, with its distinctive black finish.

Alpina has chosen not to equip this model with a small seconds display, despite the Sellita SW500 movement offering this facility. The simplicity of the aforementioned bicompax layout is a distinct benefit of this decision.

Closing remarks:

The Alpina Extreme Diver 300 Chronograph Automatic is a handsome and practical timepiece. In keeping with many of the Genevan watch brand’s products, it delivers incredible value for money, retailing at £1,840 (as of September 2014).

By eschewing the small seconds display, often found on watches containing the Sellita SW500, Alpina has delivered a balanced, bicompax layout that I find clean and simple to interpret.

The case, especially the unidirectional bezel, exhibits a solidity and the watch has a welcome heft to its construction.

Is the watch Euan-proof? To be honest, without subjecting the top replica watches store to his prolonged association and his wrecking ball hands, I could not say definitively. Nevertheless, with its tangible robustness, I would suggest the probability of this model surviving unscathed is far greater than that of many watches I come across.

Technical specifications:

• Model: Alpina Extreme Diver 300 Chronograph Automatic
• Reference: AL-725LB4V26
• Case: Stainless steel; diameter 44 mm; water resistant to 30 bar (300 meters); sapphire crystal to front and solid caseback.
• Functions: Hours; minutes; date; chronograph
• Movement: AL-725 (based on Sellita SW500), self-winding movement; frequency 28,800 vph (4Hz), 25 jewels; power reserve of 46 hours.
• Strap: Black rubber strap presented on a steel deployant
• Price: £1,840 (as of 9/2014)

The fruit of the Atelier d’Art’s unique replica watches for sale expertise, twin sets of Petite Heure Minute models are dedicated to the elegance of the butterfly, that fragile, romantic creature embodying the beauty of time.

An angel passes, drawn along by a butterfly, and time seems to hold its breath in a moment of pure poetry. This motif, discovered in an old book devoted to Jaquet Droz, has been depicted just once before, in the Age of Enlightenment, by one of the legendary automata created by Pierre Jaquet-Droz. In 2013, it was given pride of place on “The Loving Butterfly” a watch paying tribute to putti – sculptures of children used to decorate some of Italian architecture’s most beautiful buildings as well as the cultural treasures of Renaissance and Baroque Europe.

This year, the butterfly returns to the center of the cheap Breitling replica watchmaking stage, taking a form that is unprecedented and spectacular in equal measure: two sets of Petite Heure Minute models comprising eight pieces each are like the chapters of a horological novel presented in its entirety. The subject of the novel is ephemerality, with eight scenes describing a butterfly’s flight, thus reviving the brand’s passion for 18th century naturalism.

Following this narrative thread – the beauty of nature, its fragility and the transitory quality of each moment – the Jaquet Droz artisans dreamt up two complementary stories.

The dials are as blank pages, given over to the artistic imagination of painters and engravers. Within a 43 mm-diameter red gold case, on the lower part of the dial, a spray of feijoa flowers features a butterfly placed at random and sculpted by hand in a red gold to contrast with its intensely blue champlevé wings. This poetically tropical scene echoes the one portrayed in a white gold case of the same size but set with 264 diamonds extending right up to the lugs. Here, we have an invitation to journey through Asia, where a cheap replica watches butterfly in white gold flutters between pale pink peonies, the flower symbolizing love. The relief of the butterflies, their champlevé enameled wings, the fine patina on their slender bodies, the striking colors of the floral decor – every minute detail contributes to the arresting beauty of the scene. A decorative challenge achieved through a combination of the brand’s expertise and the virtuosity of the craftsman’s hand, the Butterfly Journey timepieces are also a testament to the attention Jaquet Droz never fails to pay to the splendor inherent in the most fleeting instants and the fugitive magic of nature, its creatures and plants.