Gear Patrol | Spirit of Adventure, Passion for Gear

Lighting the Way

When we think of fine watches, our minds automatically shift to thoughts of the quaint villages and alpine vistas of Switzerland, or, increasingly, to Germany’s Glashütte region, where brands like A. Lange & Söhne and Glashütte Original hail. But what of merry old England? Given that some of the most renowned figures in horology have [...]

Blessed by the God of the Sea

In the 1960s, scuba diving’s popularity was booming, thanks almost entirely to one man: Jacques-Yves Cousteau. It was Cousteau who, along with Emile Gagnan invented the Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus (SCUBA) known as the Aqua-Lung. It was also Cousteau, whose French-accented voiceovers and globetrotting adventures on his TV series fascinated households worldwide. And as if [...]

Part trade show, part soiree, all business

Every year, 18 of the major Swiss watch manufacturers pack up their suitcases, shut down their ateliers and head to Geneva to participate in one of their biggest events of the year, the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH). Part trade show, part intimate soiree and all business, SIHH has, for the past 20 [...]

Tempo al tempo

With the annual watch trade show, SIHH (Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie) about to get underway in Geneva, now is as good a time as any to revisit one of the stars from last year’s show, the Officine Panerai PAM00372 ($10,400). For those who are new to the game, Officine Panerai was originally founded [...]

Light the fires and kick the tires

IWC has fired their first volley of SIHH 2012 and it’s right on-target. Say hello to the new Pilot’s Watch Chronograph TOP GUN Miramar. Named for the birthplace of modern naval air warfare where the best of the best go to get better, this anti-magnetic timepiece sports an advanced in-house flyback chronograph movement within its [...]

This article is Volume 2 in our special Icons series for Timekeeping, written by our guru Jason Heaton. In case you missed it, be sure to catch our first Icons article, Volume 1: Super Compressor Dive Watch. 1970 was a year of great ups and downs for the mechanical chronograph. The vaunted Omega Speedmaster helped [...]

Bronze is beautiful

If there were a contest for the “it” metal for dive watches in 2011, hands down the gold medal would go to… bronze. Yup, 2011 was the year of bronze, which at first blush might seem to be an odd choice for a watch meant to spend the bulk of its time strapped to your [...]

The Official Watch of the Screaming Chicken

You like the size and heft of Casio’s G-Shock line, and you also like the stealthy law-enforcement/military look of many of their models. But now you want something with a bit more flash, while maintaining that serious black look. You also happen to really like the paint scheme off the Pontiac Firebird from Smokey and [...]

When most people think of a dive watch, the first thing that comes to mind is the prototypical ratcheting bezel, with its chunky flutings and bold markers. But there was another style of diver that emerged in the early days of recreational diving and found great popularity – the Super Compressor. To be clear, the [...]

Rubber wonder

If you know someone who’s into watches — dive watches, in particular — then chances are they’re also into straps. The reason for this is easy enough to fathom: a strap change offers a quick, inexpensive way to change the look of a watch, and even better, it’s a do-it-yourself proposition. Yet, while most switch [...]

Vorsprung durch Technik

Ask the average guy where the best watches in the world are made and he will undoubtedly say, “Switzerland.” After all, most of the recognizable brands like Jaeger-LeCoultre, Vacheron Constantin, Rolex and Patek Philippe hail from that neutral Alpine nation. It is partly the neutrality of Switzerland that has allowed these great names of horology [...]

God of the Sea

In 1992, COMEX diver Theo Mavrostomos completed a daring 701 meter saturation dive, which might explain the odd-numbered depth rating of the first watch released from new brand, Ægir. In fact, this depth rating is no coincidence, but rather an intentional homage from company founder and professional commercial diver, Todd Caldwell, to Mavrostomos’ herculean achievement, [...]

Yule Time

‘Tis the season for wishes and we bet that a lot of Gear Patrol readers have a new watch on their Christmas lists. We do, too, so we rounded up ten of the most exciting and gift-worthy timepieces of the year for you to add to yours. Whether you’ve been naughty or nice is between [...]

Autodromo is a new watch brand that aims to capture the waning spirit of motoring. Its first three offerings dubbed the Veloce, Vallelunga (shown above), and the Brescia, all feature Swiss Made Ronda 4003.B quartz movements, big date calendar complications, and KI glass crystal with a sapphire coating. Their perforated leather straps and uncluttered modernist [...]

Flieger Like an Eagle

While it is widely acknowledged that the best watch movements come from Switzerland, watch collectors and industry insiders also know that some of the best watch cases are made in Germany. Maybe it’s due to the strong heritage of craftsmanship and steelworks or just a national appreciation for good design and impeccable manufacturing. Companies like [...]