As you might have noted, Breguet is one of the bigger names that is not yet listed in our WatchBase database and I briefly pointed out why over here. However, the crown-jewel of the Swatch Group has a long and interesting history that could easily make for a book or two – after all, the Breguet name has been gracing watches since 1775. And while it would make much more sense to post this after adding a big load of Breguet watches to our database, my fingers are itching to write about a part of their history that is arguably put under the rug and not often talked about: the Chaumet and Investcorp years, finally resulting in the sale to the Swatch Group in 1999. So rather than the stories often found featuring kings, queens and emperors, we’ll take a look at the history of Breguet as it unfolded in the last 40 years.

In 1973, the Brown family -who acquired the Breguet watchmaking business from his direct descendants a hundred years earlier- sold of the company to the Chaumet brothers, Jacques and Pierre, stemming from a family of Parisian jewelers.  While their name was highly respected for their jewelry creations, the brothers were inexperienced when it came to watches. They nonetheless had great plans for Breguet, for which they needed only two things: a talented watchmaker and for the brand to move to Switzerland.

The watchmaker that came to the rescue was a young guy by the name of Daniel Roth. After graduating from a watchmaking school in Nice, Mr. Roth had worked for some seven years at the prestigious Audemars Piguet where he learned the ropes of high-end watchmaking. However, after seeing the job offering by the Chaumet brothers and being intrigued by the Breguet name, he agreed to join them as master watchmaker – but not after he’d polish his skills at complicated watchmaking in school in Le Sentier. After this one year study, he started making watches for Breguet, based in Le Brassus.

At this time, Daniel Roth focused on two things: aesthetics and complications. Out of a number of styles that A.-L. Breguet employed during his days, it is often said that Roth picked the one that is emblematic for Breguet as it is known today, with its signature guilloche dials and pomme hands. Complication-wise, Roth introduced the perpetual calendar and the tourbillon to the collection – the first of the former being in fact based on a pocket watch that he had made during his time at the Le Sentier watchmaking course. For simpler models, movements were acquired from third parties such as Jaeger-LeCoultre, Nouvelle Lemania and Frederic Piguet.

Despite their good intentions, the plans didn’t work out quite that well for the Chaumet brothers. With severe tax issues they went bankrupt in 1987 and the Breguet company was sold to Investcorp. For Daniel Roth, this was a sign to leave the company and go on his own adventure – he’d  start his own Daniel Roth brand (now incorporated to Bulgari) two years later.

Under the reign of Investcorp, the Breguet name would go through what many consider to be not the best of its years. While the investment company acquired both a movement maker (Nouvelle Lemania) and a supplier of micromechanics (Valdar) to its portfolio in 1991, Breguet struggled to uphold the great name that many felt it was owed due to its long and impressive history. High-end movements now came from an in-house supplier, yet they were equally supplied to other brands. At the same time, more pedestrian (in terms of complications) movements were obtained from third parties. With its clientele becoming increasingly knowledgeable, many of Breguets offerings seemed like poor choices compared to its competitors- mainly Patek and later on also Lange & Söhne. Little, if not none, of its movements were exclusive to the brand and they could be had from other manufacturers at substantially lower prices, not helping the prestige and perceived value of Breguet. In turn, a substantial part of Breguet’s production was dumped and sold grey market.

Then there was the Type XX. Based on a model that Breguet had made for the French airforce, it was powered by a movement by Nouvelle Lemania that was deemed by many to be sub-par for the Breguet name. It was housed in stainless steel and destined to become the entry-level watch for the brand, yet its early days were clouded by movement issues and a skeptical reception by cognoscenti. How things can change: the Type XX is still part of the Breguet collection today and earlier perceptions do not seem to have any effect on its status as a luxury sports watch today.

Enter the Swatch Group. With Blancpain, SG had already tried to climb to the top of the watchmaking hill – with disputable success. While the watches boasted impressive (and sometimes unseen) complications, the brand lacked a certain cachet. Blancpain was founded in 1735, yet there were major gaps in its history that did not give it the credibility of Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet. Do you know of a vintage Blancpain that sold for crazy money? Breguet was seen as the gateway to haute horlogerie fame and succes when it was acquired (together with Nouvelle Lemania and Valdar) in 1999.

With the financial backing of the Swatch Group and the personal interest of the late Nicolas Hayek, Breguet set out on a new path: a restoration of the Breguet philosophy, much inline with the watches manufactured by the master himself. Nouvelle Lemania ebauches would no longer be delivered to third parties, creating an air of a true manufacture as had become de rigueur in the post 1990’s era. Original Breguet watches were scooped up to be on display in the Breguet Museum. At the same time, many of the Chaumet and Investcorp models slowly seemed to disappear from the market as if the brand itself was erasing part of its history.

And today? For many collectors, the Breguet name still lacks a certain charm that is very much present in the family-owned Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet companies. Lange & Söhne has proved to be a serious contender on this stage in recent years, while high-end independent watchmaking has also taken a huge flight. Recent introductions such as the Tradition collection however seem to be received quite well among collectors and past mistakes are quickly forgotten (and erased?). I for one applaud the modern Breguet for its distinct, recognizable and unique style.

Inspired by our visit to IWC’s Schaffhausen headquarters, I thought a post detailing the history of the IWC Portuguese (or Portugieser) would be a nice idea. As the article below is somewhat lengthy, here’s a quick timeline to get you going:

• 2003: Introduction of the first Portuguese Perpetual Calendar ref. 5021 with 44.2mm case and signature double moonphase indicator.
• 2006: Introduction of the Portuguese Perpetual Calendar ref. 5022 with 42.3mm case and traditional single moonphase indicator, to be sold alongside the 5021.
• 2010: Portuguese Perpetual Calendar ref. 5022 discontinued in favor of the 5023 with 44.2mm case.
• 2015: Portuguese Perpetual Calendar ref. 5021 discontinued in favor of the 5034.
• 2015: Portuguese Perpetual Calendar ref. 5023 discontinued in favor of the 5033.

As is more often the case with IWC, numerous smaller updates on the movements and other parts have been performed throughout the production span of the various references. The fact that not all of them resulted in a different reference number is making our job somewhat hard. Perhaps in a future article we’ll go into depth on the smaller changes and the limited edition models.

IWC introduced its perpetual calendar mechanism for wristwatches in 1985 in the Da Vinci reference 3570. It was a spectacular novelty at the time. With the Swiss watch industry only slowly recovering from the quartz crisis that had hit them hard in the decade before, the only companies of name offering haute complications like this were the of likes of Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet and Vacheron Constantin – the three classic horological giants. To put things in perspective, the latter only introduced its first perpetual calendar watch since the 50’s in 1983.

It is safe to say that the price of a watch with such a complication was at this time without exception high – very high.

But then IWC came in. Some 10 years earlier, in the mid seventies, one of its watchmakers had in his spare time devised and created a simple calendar mechanism to be fitted atop a pocket watch movement. When finished, the IWC management was both impressed and interested by what this kind sir had achieved and decided to make it commercially available. Said gentleman, Mr. Kurt Klaus, was to be responsible for not only the design he submitted, but also for the prototyping and the production. Demand for pocket watches however rapidly shrunk, until there was virtually no market for them left at the end of the Seventies. It is said a no more than perhaps a few hundred examples left the factory.

With their sights now set on wristwatches, IWC management asked Mr. Klaus to once again create a calendar mechanism. Mr. Klaus had of course gained a load of experience with the design, prototyping and producting of movements, as with the pocket watch caliber he had done most -if not all- of this by himself. He thus now felt confident that he could take this project one step further and create not just a simple calendar, but rather a Quantième Perpétuel – the elusive perpetual calendar. As was the case with the calendar pocket watch, this mechanism was to be build atop an existing movement.

Mr. Klaus started this new project by thoroughly researching various movements made by competitors. One thing he noticed was the abundance of pushers needed to properly set the calendar – something he was not too fond of. So when he went to design his own mechanism, he decided to make it easy to operate: all adjustments would be performed with nothing but the winding crown. While the initial idea was to build it atop an automatic movement by Jaeger-LeCoultre, the visionary Günther Blümheim kindly suggested to design it with a chronograph movement serving as the base caliber, resulting in an even more spectacular and jaw-dropping final product.

Subsequently Mr. Klaus worked in solitude for close to four years -no computers, no CAD mind you!- before the project was finally completed in 1985 and the Da Vinci 3570 was presented to the world at the BaselWorld show. Critically acclaimed and powered by its price that shook the industry, the module would grow out to be the most widely sold perpetual calendar mechanism – not only fitted to the Da Vinci collection, but in adapted form in the Novecento, the GST, the Pilot’s Chronograph and various models by JLC, including the current Master Ultra Thin Perpetual . It would also serve as the base for the IWC’s Grande Complication and their masterpiece of the time, the spectacular Destriero Scafusia.

Fast forward 10 years. After a limited edition run two years earlier, IWC introduced the Portuguese back into the regular collection in 1995 with the Chronograph Rattrapante and Chronograph Automatic. Inspired by the success of this collection, IWC decided to create a new model powered by a movement matching the generous proportions of the case: an automatic movement with the size of a pocket watch movement. First used in the Portuguese 2000, the movement used IWC’s signature Pellaton winding system and boasted a 8 day power reserve – restricted to 7 days to ensure accuracy throughout the range.

When this movement was adapted for the Big Pilot, a date feature was added, which gave Kurt Klaus -now with a proper team by his side- way to adapt the Da Vinci perpetual calendar mechanism to this new movement. It was after all the date mechanism with its 24h wheel and rapid change that both inspired and served as the base of the first module.  This resulted in the first Portuguese Perpetual Calendar, ref. 5021,  in 2003. Aside from the dimensions the mechanism was almost identical, with one notable exception: there now was room for more teeth on one of the moonphase gears, enhancing the accuracy of the display from one day off in 122 days for the Da Vinci to one day off in 577 years for the Portuguese and other models based on the same movement, like the Big Pilot Perpetual Calendar. The dimensions however caused more intermediate gears to be needed, increasing the parts count for the calendar module from 82 to 109.

In 2006, the original Portuguese Perpetual Calendar was accompanied by the slightly smaller 5022. While the former had a case of 44.2mm and sported the signature double moonphase display, the latter had a slightly smaller case (42.3mm) and a single moonphase. One might say that the newer 5022 was more of a traditionalists choice. The 5022 however would not be long lived: it was replaced in favor of the 44.2mm 5023 in 2010.

In 2015, IWC celebrated the 75th Anniversary of the Portuguese with the introduction of a myriad of new models and revamps of most of the existing ones. Both the 5021 and 5023 were phased out in favor of the 5034 and 5033 respectively. Besides a number of changes on the design, the movement powering this new generation of Portuguese Perpetual Calendars was now fitted with twin barrels ensuring the 7 day power reserve, while the previous generations got their power from one single barrel.

Watchbase is at the IWC headquarters in Schaffhausen for a factory visit with our friends of Ace Jewelers today!

While Alwin is getting a crash course in watchmaking in Switzerland, we cordially invite you to check out our progress on the Schaffhausen-based brand at the Watchbase IWC home page.

I’ll be the first to admit that there is still major work to be done though and I’ll get to that ASAP. As of yet, most watches have been uploaded to the Big Pilot section, including the Big Pilot Top Gun Miramar in ceramic and titanium found on Alwin’s wrist.

As I hope you’ve seen on our landing page, we’re approaching the 3k mark in watches uploaded to the Watchbase database. We won’t be popping the champagne any time soon though: although Alwin suggested it at 1k, I think 10K is a much better goal.. So there are still heaps of work to be done!

I’m running a bit low on time as I’m leaving for a family party in some 25 minutes, but there are a few things I wanted to share before I head out. Please don’t blame me for any spelling mistakes and thoughts that seem somewhat random 😉 :

As far as progress and what’s been done is concerned, the story is still very much the same. In addition to the bulk uploads which need minor tweeks, I’ve also been working on what I’d call side-projects – fun brands and otherwise notable groups of watches. Some highlights include:

– The Frederique Constant Horological Smartwatch. It is the first smart watch to be added to our collection, which alone makes it worth mentioning. We’re looking forward to handling it in person at BaselWorld in a few weeks.

– The Aeternitas Mega 4  by Franck Muller. Have you seen it? To be honest this was just a test to see how well our system holds up when it comes to extremely complicated watches, but it seems to be working pretty well.

Are our readers allowed to comment yet Alwin? In any case, here are some thoughts with regard to WatchBase in general. A quick Google search will easily get you in touch with me, so please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts!

– A brainstorming session is due soon, and we’ll be looking in particular to how WatchBase can create more added value. Easier navigation with filter options is also something that we’ll be working on.

– I’m thinking, but at the moment the only option we added to our system with regard to certification is COSC – I’ll probably add things like the Geneva Seal, Patek Seal et cetera soon. I’m just hoping that not every brand will be adding their own 500 hours, 1000 hours or whatever certfication soon, so we can keep our system somewhat clean.

Now, as I’ve once again been crawling the watch brands websites, here are some loose thoughts:

– In general, my feeling is Richemont is doing better than the Swatch Group. Some SG websites are not bad. However, have you been to the Breguet website lately? Some throwback action going on there.. Blancpain too isn’t the easiest to navigate. Longines – with their huge collection, I get that they can’t display all.. But I’m sure they could do better than what it is at the moment!

– I like Nomos. I like Dornblueth. I like Sinn as well. Besides being German, these brands have one more thing in common: a very strong focus. Not too much weird stuff that’s either out of their price range or different from their usual design language, but just a clear image of what the brand is about. I like this a lot. With other brands, collections can get messy very soon and prices can be all over the place. I am not sure whether this is such a good thing.

Excuse me – have to go out now. More to follow!

ps. yes, the pic is somewhat random 😉

Two of my favorite watches EVER are the Rolex Datejust and the Rolex Day-Date. I’m dead serious. There is something about these two; the perfect fit on the wrist of their subtle 36mm cases, their cultural significance, their bulletproof quality and iconic designs: these are iconic watches. Plus, these were made in an unimaginable number of configurations, making the search for the one that speaks to you -or has the best investment potential- a fun challenge.

In-depth articles on these I’ll save for a later date. But as our archive is rapidly growing, for now I’ll make do with a moderately revised version of a history of the first four generations of Rolex Day-Date, that was previously hosted on RLXDD.

Make sure to check out the archive we’ve built up on the Rolex Day-Date so far right here.

Most of the info below is rather to the point and might puzzle some of you. Don’t worry though. Main points for budding collectors;

• First two generations (6511, 6611 and variations): if the price is right, buy if case condition is good / acceptable and if dial, hands and discs are original. Dial exchanged to later gen – no-go.
• Third generation (1800): for early versions, make sure they sport the right dial (markers!) and matching hands. For later ones, I suggest to focus on unusual colors. Materials other than yellow gold are an instant plus. As production numbers on these were considerably higher, condition becomes increasingly important. While the first two generations are considerably rare, this one in general isn’t.
• Fourth generation (18000): re-read the above. And focus on rare materials – stone, wood and whatever came out of the Rolex factory, including rare diamond-set variations. Thank me later.

So, for the geek stuff;

6511

To the best of my knowledge, there have been a few distinctive versions of the 6511 since it was first introduced – notwithstanding minor differences. This very first Day-Date model is said to be somewhat flawed movement-wise, notably the day & date change causing lag in the movement making the overall performance less-than noteworthy.

Rumour has it that the very first Day-Dates made their appearance in 1955, the same year the patent was filed. Supposedly these were delivered only to the Italian market – more or less prototypes, with the ever watch-crazy Italians serving as guinea pigs. To be frank, I wouldn’t be surprised if this story turned out to be completely flawed. However, these should have a few distinctive marks;

Rolex Day-Date 6511 first generation

• Only white/silver dials
• Day-Date wording in red
• Brevet case
• Inner caseback signed 6510, crossed out, signed 6511
• Italian Day disc
• Dial markings include 50m – 165ft
• Dial markings include Superlative Chronometer by Official Test. Please note that the word Superlative can be considered somewhat of an anomaly considering the what I’m about to write further down the road.
• Dauphine hands / Alpha hands

As far as I know, the next generation 6511 is the one which still has the depth-rating on the dial;

Rolex Day-Date 6511 second generation

• Dial colours available unknown. Likely only silver/white.
• Day-Date wording in red (6:00)
• Case details unknown
• Likely inner caseback signed 6511
• Day disc in various languages – English and Italian confirmed
• Dial markings can include 50m- 165ft
• Dial markings include Officially Certified Chronometer
• Dauphine hands / Alpha hands

So the first two iterations are covered. The next one is what I would consider to be the most common, the standard, 6511. Let’s consider this one the 1956 Basel model – the official 6511.

Rolex Day-Date 6511 third generation

• Dial colours available unknown. Likely only silver/white.
• Day-Date wording in black (12:00)
• Case signed 6511
• Inner caseback signed 6511
• Day disc in various languages – English and Italian confirmed
• Dial markings no longer include depth rating
• Dial markings include Officially Certified Chronometer
• Dauphine hands / Alpha hands

6611

After only a year -or two, depending on which story you’re going with- the 6511 got replaced with the near identical Rolex Day-Date 6611 in 1957. This model was now fitted with the free sprung balance calibre 1055. Being much more accurate than the previous model, it now earned the designation ‘Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified – the first Rolex to be fitted with this text, designating ‘especially good results’ in the chronometer-tests. Besides the chronometer text, the most distinctive change is that from the Dauphine-hands to Alpha-hands. But then again – no hard and fast rules. Many transitionals exist and many parts have been exchanged in service. This is also the very first Day-Date to be available with the President bracelet and different bezels; either fluted, smooth or diamond-set.

Rolex Day-Date 6611

• Dial colours available unknown. Silver/white, black and gold confirmed.
• Day-Date wording in black
• Case signed 6611, 6612, 6613
• Inner caseback signing unknown – yet to be confirmed
• Day disc in various languages
• Dial markings no longer include depth rating – last mention of this fact
• Dial markings include Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified
• Alpha hands – so far Dauphine hands seem acceptable too though.

Note the Dauphine hands on the last example. No hard and fast rules.

The one below deserves a special mention, with the chronometer-script being in German. I will work out the story behind these in time.

6611b to be added

1800

1959 marks the release of the 1800-generation, powered by calibre 1555. The official introduction is supposed to have been on September 1st, 1960. This is where the real fun starts; an sturdy and reliable movement and, throughout the years, a crazy number of dials, bezels and bracelets.

Noteworthy updates include the 1963-64 change from radium to tritium and the 1965 switch from calibre 1555 to the higher-beat 1556. Hacking introduced in 1972.

Rolex Day-Date 1800

• Many dial colours available
• Day-Date wording matching the other text
• Case signed 1802, 1803, 1804 et cetera, designating the type of bezel fitted
• Inner caseback signing 1800 (180x)
• Day disc in many languages
• Dial markings include Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified
• Hands in different styles; early transitional ones fitted with Alpha-hands, others include the most common Baton-type, tapering Cigarette, Wide Boy et cetera.

18000

1978 marks the release of the 18000-generation, powered by calibre 3055. This is the first Day-Date to feature the quick-set date. This generation was the first to see the Tridor or BIC.

Rolex Day-Date 18000

• Many dial colours and materials available
• Day-Date wording matching the other text
• Case signed 18038, 18039, designating the type of bezel fitted and the materials used
• Inner caseback signing 18000(180xx)
• Day disc in many languages
• Dial markings include Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified
• No rose/ pink

1831

A special mention is in order for the elusive reference 1831, said to be made in no more than 8 examples as a custom order in platinum only. It uses an OysterQuartz-type of case, while using a integrated bracelet in King Midas style – strangely neither of these models was made in platinum though. Exceedingly deep pockets needed.

Pic credit;

• Stefano Mazzariol
• Yorktime
• Antiquorum
• Bonhams
• John Goldberger
• Amsterdam Vintage Watches
• Amsterdam Watch Company

Three Omega Speedmaster Professional models looking exceedingly alike: reference 3570, 3572 and 3573. To little surprise, one of the questions most often asked among budding Speedmaster aficionado’s ist: what exactly is the difference between these three?

The 3570.50.00 was introduced in 1996 and discontinued somewhere in the second half of 2014, when it was replaced by the 311.30.42.30.01.005. This Speedmaster is fitted with a closed caseback and a hesalite (plexi) front. It is powered by caliber 1861.

The 3572.50.00 was introduced 1996 and discontinued somewhere around 2002. No direct replacement was offered; the 3573 more or less served as its replacement. This Speedmaster is fitted with a sapphire caseback and a hesalite (plexi) front. It is powered by caliber 1863.

The 3573.50.00, as indicated above, was introduced in 2002 as an updated replacement for the 3572. This Speedmaster is fitted with a sapphire crystal both front and back. It is powered by caliber 1863. This reference was discontinued in favor of the 311.30.42.30.01.006 in the second half of 2014.

In short:

• 3570: plexi front, closed caseback, caliber 1861
• 3572: plexi front, sapphire caseback, caliber 1863
• 3573: sapphire front, sapphire caseback, caliber 1863

As far as the 1861 / 1863 difference goes: the 1861 can be regarded as the standard version of this movement, while the 1863 is the ‘luxury’ model upgraded for use in models fitted with a sapphire caseback. It is therefore finished to a somewhat higher degree. The baseplate features circular graining, several bridges now sport Geneva stripes and both bridges as well as levers are now adorned with polished edges. Also, the 861 (and its successor 1861) have been using a Delrin (plastic) chronograph brake since approximately 1971, a feature introduced to reduce friction on the wheels caused by a conventional steel brake. On the 863 and 1863 this piece was changed back to metal so no plastic parts would show through the caseback.

The debate often gets heated much more quickly when it comes to the right choice of crystal for the Moonwatch. Purists prefer the plexi: this conform the original specs, plus the plexi adds a certain ‘glow’ that is unmatched by the sapphire. However, the plexi (hesalite if you prefer) is rather soft and scratches quite easily. The scratches can be buffed out easily on the other hand.

Sapphire crystal is much harder and will hardly scratch. However, the curvature of the glass is noticeably different and one could say a bit of character is lost – it is much less ‘vintage’ in appearance, although only those in the know will notice. There is less distortion. And -plus or minus, you decide- it adds a bit of heft to the Speedmaster, especially in the 3573 model which is fitted with sapphire both front and back.

In todays market, a huge number of watches is fitted with sapphire crystal backs. Not all views are equal though – many of them are really not that spectacular to look at. The 1863 however is a nice sight – it is a very traditional chronograph movement that has powered Omega’s emblematic Speedmaster for decades, so it deserves a bit of attention every now and then.. 😉

In short:

• 3570.50.00 – purists model
• 3573.50.00 – modern take on the classic
• 3573.50.00 – the perfect combination?

Now, which one works best for you is of course a very personal decision.. IMHO, either of these (and their current-production counterparts) is a great choice.. But so are the limited editions.. the vintage ones.. the 9300.. Browse the selection we’ve uploaded right here.

WatchBase recommends buying at an Authorized Dealer when buying new and at a trusted and recommended party when buying used.

So I just received a press update from Omega and I’m 100% sure that this is the news you’ve all been waiting for. This is so exciting. BaselWorld 2015 PR machine kicking in.

Omega just launched a new campaign with George Clooney and his dog Einstein.  

“Einstein has been studying acting for many years now as you can imagine. I think he’s concerned that I am in his shot and he thinks that perhaps you can airbrush me out if it. That’s his hope“, says Clooney.

So.

If you’re done screaming and yelling in excitement, why not check out the details of the Speedy on his wrist in these shots?

Your horological reporter checking out – in agony.

In the last couple of days, I’ve again added a huge number of watches and movements to our database. Also, a few smaller (though great ) changes have been made by Alwin and Dion- both functional as well as some design thingamalingies.

With the intend of keeping things interesting, both for myself as well as for you, I have been trying to find some kind of middle road between a high volume of easy uploads and unusual and indie watches. The former are mostly ETA-based brands, whose watches are quickly uploaded in bulk as they use standard (or moderately altered) movements already in our database – Hamilton, Longines and Bell & Ross come to mind.

Others, like Vacheron, Patek, Lange, and Audemars Piguet, require custom movement uploads. It is however interesting to note that the info on these is readily available and very well sorted, hugely decreasing the time needed to sort out the information needed to fill all our fields. Patek and Vacheron take the reigns here, sorting their watches if desired by movement used, with full specs and info on all. While I haven’t really taken on Vacheron yet, our Patek database is starting to be quite something – although most are from the current collection.

Speake-Marin has been fun and I think only the Triad pieces need to be added from his current line-up. It’s a pity I can’t seem to locate pics of all his movements, but I applaud his open communication regarding the use of Vaucher movements. I’ve also begun to work on Lang & Heyne.. since we’re trying to add all, why not add a few unusual ones right at the start, right? Also, check out the Daytona page for a first taste of vintage.

Alwin and Dion have been adding a new function to the Calibers pages, which shows what we’re after – clear and open information with as much cross references as possible. It is now possible to view which calibers use a certain movement as a base – get a taste of it at the ETA 2824-2 page. While obviously a lot more movements need to be added to make it truly interesting, it is already a fun feature. They’ve also cleaned up the Brands and Calibers pages – the lay-out is much more clear than it was before.

Ok, back to work

Tonight Team Watchbase will be at the Bremont Kingsman event hosted by Ace Jewelers. What better motivation could we have to post a bit on the three watches created especially for the film?

Bremont is part of a group of British brands who, under the watchful eye of MR Porter, MR PORTER, director Mr Matthew Vaughn and costume designer Ms Arianne Phillips, who have collaborated on a collection of menswear items inspired by – and worn in – the film.

A total of three watches has been created for the film, all based on thecaliber BE-54AE-powered ALT-1 Worldtimer model. All of them feature special dials with the Kingsman logo. A model with rose gold case was not previously available in the ALT-1 collection.

Check out the details on each of these with a Watchbase Search for Kingsman – or just use the links below;

• Bremont Kingsman Special Edition Rose Gold
• Bremont Kingsman Special Edition Stainless Steel
• Bremont Kingsman Special Edition DLC

The WatchBase database is growing fast, with hundreds of watches being added on a daily basis. And we have just reached a big milestone:

1,000 (one thousand!) watches listed !!