Women living large

The large watch fashion trend is still going strong. It makes quite the fashion statement when you see an elegantly dressed woman or celebrity wearing a large sporty timepiece. It exudes confidence and attitude, while still being functional and incredibly easy to read.

Watches that have been great sellers with the ladies, are the Bell & Ross BR01 and BR03 Instrument models, the U-Boat Flightdeck and Classico models even up to 55mm if you can believe that, as well as the Alpina 48mm Avalanche Extreme and Corum Admirals Cup 48mm Competition.

Imagine your husband or boyfriends face when he sees you wearing a watch that is bigger than his.

In these economic times of uncertainty, there are exceptional watch brands that are comparable to those of the Haute Horlogerie. There are many watch brands that are at par as far as quality and style is concerned. Watches like Hamilton which are owned by the Swatch group, who also own the movements that are supplied to watch manufacturers around the world.

The Hamilton Jazzmaster Chrono with 7750 movement and sapphire crystal, is comparable to a IWC Portuguese chronograph with its 42mm stainless steel case, the IWC has the same base movement as the Hamilton and is four times the price. Granted the IWC is a world renown name, you pay for the marketing. Hamilton is on the mark with its styling and most important its price point. The value is uncomparable in any other watch brand.

Another example of styling quality and value would be the Alpina line of Extreme watches. Comparable to the Hublot Big Bang, these 48mm timepieces exude the fashion and style of todays large sporty watches. Sapphire crystals excellent attention to finishing and detail, Alpina prices are a fraction to so many watch brands in the high-end market.

The Alpina Extreme Regulator with its Unitas 6497 modified regulator movement. So many watch companies use this base movement as a regular three hand watch with manual wind. Panerai had it in there incredibly saught after 1950 and Militare watches are at a whopping 10 times the price of the Alpina, which is not even a regulator, with the hour, minute, and second hands independent of one another, which is considered quite a large complication in the world of mechanical watches.

There is a wide range of prices and styles that could satisfy any budget, as long as it turns your crank, you don't have to break the bank.

This summer I had the chance to stage field studies on how different types of watch bands fare in water. You may own a water resistant watch, but if you don't have the right kind of strap on it you don't want to get it wet.

Organic and synthetic materials are the two types used to make straps. Organics encompass all leathers while synthetics offer a seemingly infinite choice of styles, textures, and uses. For my testing, I chose three of the most common materials. Calfskin leather, vinyl canvas, and rubber.

Representing the organics is my Anonimo Cronoscopio's Kodiak leather strap. Kodiak claims that their treated leather will resist water better then others, so I wanted to put them to the test. I used my watch at the lake over a period of four days. The first few days of swimming went well. The strap looked damaged and stained when wet, but once it dried came back to its original colour and quality. On the last day, however, the leather started to crack a little around the holes and a small stain appeared after the strap had dried. My conclusion is that no matter how it is treated leather should not be used in the water. Water will dramatically reduce its longevity and appearance.

For the first synthetic trial, I equipped my Cronoscopio with a Panerai canvas strap and wore it nearly every day during two weeks at the beach. The vinyl fiber is completely water repellant and the strap looked almost identical on the last day as it did on the first day. There are a few downsides. These straps are designed to be worn over a wetsuit so the strap is quite bulky. The strap is a bit awkward on the average wrist and very hard to wear under a shirt. Furthermore, they take quite a long time to dry, because the woven textile retains water. A wet watch band is about as comfortable as wet socks. A thinner vinyl band like the one that comes with the Bell & Ross Instruments would at least partially solve both these problems.

To test the rubber variety of straps, I brought my Alpina Avalanche Extreme Automatic for a weekend at the lake. This weekend was spent waterskiing (attempting to), tubing, and diving off the dock. These are all activities that increase susceptibility to water damage because of the speed at which you hit the water. The rubber strap is 100% waterproof. It dried extremely fast because most of the water would just roll off. To top it off, the strap actually looked newer at the end of the weekend. Finding a rubber strap that is also comfortable is the best solution if you want to wear your watch in and out of the water.

Note: Neither the Anonimo Cronoscopio nor the Alpina Avalanche Extreme were harmed during these studies!

Alpina products first series of Regulator wristwatches, presented in 2005, are a reminder of the brands heritage and fascinating history albeit with a design that is absolutely fresh and contemporary.

In 2008, Alpina is renewing with its watch making tradition, which has been the cornerstone of the brand revivals success amongst watch enthusiasts and trade professionals alike, and launches a brand-new manufacture calibre, the AL-950, in a new collection: the Alpina Manufacture Regulator.

Alpina Geneve is celebrating its 125th anniversary with the inauguration of the first movement to be made entirely in its own workshops. While this new timepiece was inspired by the distinctive angular design of the celebrated Extreme Avalanche Regulator, it reveals its own touch of originality: the case is slightly smaller and the dial skilfully designed to harmonize with its size.

We're receiving some teasers from Alpina Watches about the whole new direction the company is taking, that is sure to make an impact. New models of the Alpina Avalanche Extreme as well as other great new products that will be launched at Baselworld 2008 next week.

We will keep you posted as the information arrives.

• Subscribe by RSS Feed
• Be a Fan on Facebook
• Follow Us on Twitter

admirals cup   alpina   avalanche extreme   azimuth   baselworld   bell & ross   bell & ross   br-s   br01   br02   br03   bridal   calgaro   canada   carbon   cars   catalog   celebrities   celebrity   challenge   chronograph   classico   competition   concord   contest   corum   designer   facebook   flightdeck   frederique constant   gem   gift ideas   gmt   gold   golden bridge   graham   hamilton   history   hydromax   italo fontana   jewelry   mens   military   movement   new model   omega   orbita   phantom   photo   pianegonda   poker   pre-owned   quartz   rebecca   reviews   ring   rolex   romvlvs   ron hami   sports   style   switzerland   tides   tips   titanium   tourbillon   u-boat   video   watch straps   watches   white ceramic   winders