Gear Patrol

We have yet to see a G-Shock watch that looks as if it couldn’t withstand a few strikes from a jackhammer. The Casio G-Shock Aviation Series GWA1000D-1A ($600) is no exception. This time, it’s geared for pilots and other such world-travelers who need a multi-function watch as formidable as they are. The GWA1000D-1A (who names…

The primary goal in the manufacture of any watch is precision; there is scarcely a watchmaker, from Patek Philippe to Citizen, that would argue that fact. After all, the whole raison d’être of a watch is to tell the time — if it does that poorly, you might as well be wearing a charm bracelet….

If bespoke is your middle name, then Dunhill is a brand you already know. From fine tobacco accessories to pens, high-end clothing and timepieces, Dunhill builds quality. Typically erring on the classic side of style, they’ve gone a bit risky with their new and very black Dunhill Classic PVD Moonphase Watch ($7,300); it’s both beautifully…

When most people start getting interested in timepieces, the first thing that usually attracts them is the appearance. A distinctive dial, a unique case shape, even a nice strap can draw in the uninitiated. Then they notice watches whose hands sweep smoothly, driven by springs and gears versus the tick-tick that gives away battery driven…

If you live in New York City and have even a passing interest in watches, then you were probably at TimeCrafters, held at the Park Avenue Armory this past weekend. If you weren’t, don’t worry. Gear Patrol dispatched photographer Jae Yoon to capture every interesting tick and tock. You can see his photos after the…

The Panerai new Luminor Submersible 1950 Amagnetic 3 Days Automatic Titanio (PAM 389) is the watch to strap on the night before the Mayan calendar ends. Look past its encyclopedic name and you’ll find a mashup of features that make this piece perhaps the most capable timekeeper the venerable Italian instrument maker has produced. Let’s…

Without the use of a wristwatch, simple medical procedures that we take for granted like taking a pulse or temperature or administering medication become far more difficult and less accurate. So when Gustavo Sainz, a Los Angeles-based screenwriter and self-proclaimed, “Time Captain,” learned that many healthcare workers in developing countries lacked even this basic piece…

We love our timepieces, but traveling with all our favorites tends to be a problem. Ziploc bags won’t cut it, nor will an empty cigar box — but the Smythson Watch Roll ($465) transports wrist candy safely and in high style. Finished in black full-grain leather and lined with suede, the watch roll’s soft cylindrical…

By now, anyone even mildly interested in wristwatches knows the story of the OMEGA Speedmaster Professional. Perhaps more than any other timepiece, the Speedmaster has transcended its genre and actually become a symbol of a bygone era of grit, honor, adventure, and American ingenuity and pluck. Its story is almost too good to be true,…

If you’re in the hunt for a tough-as-nails watch that is noticeably unnoticeable, look no further than the Luminox F-117 Nighthawk 6400. Made with a low-key brushed black stainless steel, it’s beautifully stealthy and will be a welcomed addition to a military jacket and a pair of boots. With anti-reflective sapphire glass (for those “under-cover-of-darkness”…

Storied Swiss watch manufacture, International Watch Company (IWC) declared that 2012 would be the year of the pilot’s watch, and to this end they completely revamped their iconic line of pilot’s watches with new models, new materials and new complications. Of these, one watch really stood out from the rest: the Top Gun Big Pilot’s…

Spend enough time (and money) around wristwatches and it’s easy to become jaded. Soon you’re only interested in historically significant references or manufacture movements (Quartz? No way!) and you can lose sight of what attracted you to watches in the first place – that je ne sais quois visual quality that makes you smile when…

We realize that extreme sports junkies like our Ironman-in-training may need need extreme (and pricey) gear to suit their badass exploits, but there’s quite a few active Joes out there who want a watch that works in the field and in the office. The Timex Easy Reader ($65) is perfect for these (equally important) less…

Introduced at the dawn of the jet age, the Rolex GMT-Master has become an enduring symbol of a time when travel was both more glamorous and more adventurous. This most colorful of Rolexes, transcended its aviation beginnings and has been worn by astronauts, test pilots, a famous TV detective, a Bond girl and a sports…

Victorinox is known for their cutlery and perhaps less so for their watches. Well, the Victorinox Alpnach Power Gauge Limited Edition is certainly both a head turner and a mouthful. With a 43.5mm case, anti-reflective sapphire crystal, Swiss automatic chronograph movement and a depth rating of 330 feet, it’s got all the bearings of a…

When most folks think of the Olympics they think of amateur athletes from around the world coming together in the spirit of good sportsmanship to pit their skills against the best-of-the-best for a shot at the gold. For die-hard watch aficionados, however, we think of OMEGA. That’s right, we think of a watch company. Why…

One could argue that time is the most important element of the Olympic Games. Four years. One tenth of a second. Two hours, six minutes, 32 seconds. They all carry great importance. In swimming or running, fractions of seconds can mean the difference between qualifying for a final and finishing the Games as a spectator….

To say that the HMS Victory is a ship with history is akin to saying that the Dali Lama is a man with faith. Launched in 1765, she is the only remaining 18th Century ship left in the world, as well as the oldest commissioned warship. The Victory’s record at sea is the stuff of…

Just in time for their 120th anniversary, Hamilton has added a new flagship to the Aviation line of Khaki watches, the X-Patrol, and it represents a terrific value in fully-featured mechanical pilot’s watches. To this end, the X-Patrol features a functional computational bezel that allows would-be Lindberghs to calculate on-the-fly metric conversions for miles to…

Watchmaking is a traditional business and the big brands are fairly conservative. So when one of the biggest breaks new ground, it makes us sit up and take notice. Cartier, the venerable jewelry and timepiece giant of the Richemont Group, has given some journalists a sneak peek at their forthcoming ID Two Concept Watch and…

You get your shirts made to measure, store your shoes on trees and you know the difference between a Windsor and a half-Windsor. So what are you doing with that giant dive watch under your cuff? And don’t give us that rubbish about James Bond. There are times and places for sports watches but none…

Depending on who you ask (or read), there’s a good chance you might walk away with a handful of stories behind the origins of the “California” dial. This writer humbly admits to not knowing the truth. Some attribute the widespread knowledge to a California-based company that refurbished a large number of Rolex Bubblebacks in the…

Two years ago, we were invited to visit the Glashütte, Germany workshops of A. Lange & Söhne, and ever since then, we’ve been a fan of the brand. Their understated elegance flies under the radar of all but the timepiece cognoscenti, most of whom shorten the tongue-twister name into simply, “Lange”. Since the brand emerged…

Seiko watches have a long and impressive history: the company produced their first watches in 1924 and have continuously produced wrist watches till this day. While often exempt from the conversation about fine timepieces that is typically reserved for German and Swiss pedigrees, Seiko takes quality very seriously. While they now produce some parts overseas…

Someone once said that writing about music is like dancing about architecture. But while I’m sure music critics have their own challenges, I suspect they have an easier time explaining what they do than we watch writers, who fetishize the arcane minutiae of an anachronistic art. But I’ve learned to respond to questions about my…

With the recent success of Space X Dragon, the first private spacecraft to launch and connect with the international space station, there’s been a renewed attention to aeronautics and space travel. 50 years ago and for only the second time in history, astronaut Scott Carpenter strapped on a Breitling Navitimer chronograph and orbited the earth…

We love our niche watches, and Prometheus has been on our radar for a little while. They’ve made some serious headway in the ever-growing niche dive watch industry, which takes a bit of doing today, and we’re happy to say for good reason. GP recently had the opportunity to test the Prometheus Manta Ray (~$810)…

When the average Joe thinks of Swiss watchmakers he probably thinks of wizened old men with white hair and white coats, perennially hunched over workbenches assembling miniature mechanical masterpieces with impossibly small gears and screws. And you know something, he’d be right. Sort of. Yes, they wear white coats, and yes, they do spend an…

Nowadays, you can hardly throw a dead fish without hitting another new dive watch brand. The availability of Far East shops that will stamp out a few hundred watch cases based on a napkin sketch means that almost anyone with a little ambition and a small loan can start their own watch company. And there…

Earlier this year, Jaeger-LeCoultre introduced its retro-tastic Deep Sea Vintage Chronograph at the annual Salon International de Haute Horlogerie in Geneva. The watch made just about everyone’s “Best Of” list (including ours) with its creamy “aged” luminescent markers, textured dial and old-school pump-style chronograph pushers. The watch was homage to a watch JLC never produced…