A Blog To Watch Weekly – Details, episodes & analysis

This week on aBlogtoWatch Weekly, Rick is joined by Ariel and Ripley, along with Kevin Roberts (@kevin_roberts100) Azad Zangana (@aztime), and Will Charlesworth (@inquisitivepheasants). The show begins with banter about bequeathing watches, and Kevin decides, impromptu, who's getting what when he kicks the bucket. When the guys get down to business, the first topic up is Chanel's purchase of 25% of MB&F. The team shares their thoughts on three new watch releases:, starting with lots of love for the Urwerk EMC SR-71, followed by the "weird" but "cool" Hublot MP-13 Tourbillon Bi-Axis Retrograde watch, which Ariel describes as "niche 1.5." Lastly, they hem and haw about the new Roger Dubuis Orbis In Machina, obviously a pun of a name. As always, the show concludes with a round of Hit, Miss, Maybe. Watch below or on the player of your choice.

• WatchPro: Chanel Buys 25% Stake in MB&F
• New Release: Urwerk EMC SR-71 Watch
• Hands-On: Hublot MP-13 Tourbillon Bi-Axis Retrograde Black Carbon Watch
• Hands-On: Roger Dubuis Orbis In Machina Watch With Central Flying Tourbillon
• New Release: Tag Heuer Connected Calibre E4 45MB X Oracle Red Bull Racing Edition Smartwatch
• Hands-On: Tag Heuer Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph Watch, The Brand's New Face of Ultra-Luxury
• New Release: Chronoswiss Open Gear Flying Tourbillon Psycho Watch

Check out ABTW on YouTube to catch up on the latest episodes of ABTWW, Hit, Miss, Maybe, video reviews, and more.

We’d love to hear from you with feedback or suggestions for future show topics or guests. Advertising opportunities are also available. Comment or contact podcasts@aBlogtoWatch.com. You can also send us a WhatsApp message at: +44 7386 690 897.

This week on aBlogtoWatch Weekly, Rick is joined by the usual suspects, Ripley, David, and Ariel. After a brief foray into the scorching weather in Los Angeles and Budapest vs. Scotland, the quadrangle dives into a discussion about why luxury watch brands shouldn't raise prices on a set schedule. Next up, it's Guess the Price of the Seiko (spoiler alert: David won), and then the team scrutinizes a recent Tag Heuer drop from all angles. There's a brief digression about Ariel's push-pull relationship to the idea of maybe, possibly seeing a bear on a camping trip — is it a bear or a deer? No spoilers here. Finally, the guys are joined by Kevin Roberts (@kevin_roberts100) and Azad Zangana (@aztime) for another round of Hit, Miss, Maybe.

Hands-On: Seiko 5 Sports Heritage Limited Edition SRPL03 And SRPL05 Watches

Watch Review: Tag Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 Date And Aquaracer Professional 300 GMT

WatchPro: Rolex Executives Take Top Jobs At Bucherer

New Release: Luminox Pacific Diver Automatic 3100 Series Watches

Hands-On Debut: Longines Spirit Zulu Time Titanium Watch

Hands-On: Gerald Charles Maestro 9.0 Roman Tourbillon Watch

Check out ABTW on YouTube to catch up on the latest episodes of ABTWW, Hit, Miss, Maybe, video reviews, and more.

We’d love to hear from you with feedback or suggestions for future show topics or guests. Advertising opportunities are also available. Comment or contact podcasts@aBlogtoWatch.com. You can also send us a WhatsApp message at: +44 7386 690 897.

This week on aBlogtoWatch Weekly, the gang is back at it for another episode of watches! Things start with new Olympic watches from Swatch and a discussion of watches that commemorate the biennial games, plus the team tears apart the inanity of brand anniversaries. Then it's on to a slew of other new releases and reviews, and of course, another round of Hit, Miss, Maybe. Listen below or on the player of your choice.

• New Release: Swatch Olympic Games Paris 2024 Watches
• New Release: Omega X Swatch MoonSwatch Mission On Earth Lava, Polar Lights, And Desert Watches
• New Release: Citizen Promaster 35th Anniversary Land, Sea, And Air Watches
• New Release: Breitling Chronomat Giannis Antetokounmpo Watches
• Hands-On: Casio G-Shock GMAP2100SG Sunset Glow Watch
• New Release: Chopard L.U.C XPS 1860 Officer Vendome One Watch
• Hands-On: Two Fun Men's & Women's Rainbow Fashion Watches From Philipp Plein
• New Release: Hublot Arsham Droplet Pocket Watch And Desk Clock
• The ABTW Team Picks Their Favorites From Only Watch 2023

Check out ABTW on YouTube to catch up on the latest episodes of ABTWW, Hit, Miss, Maybe, video reviews, and more.

We’d love to hear from you with feedback or suggestions for future show topics or guests. Advertising opportunities are also available. Comment or contact podcasts@aBlogtoWatch.com

Too Many Steel Sports Models? What’s The Best Watch Case Material? Plus The Norqain Wild ONE And Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Ultra Deep With Sylvain Berneron from Breitling

For this episode ofaBlogtoWatch Weekly, everyone has returned from their recent travels, so it’s back to our usual trio of hosts with Ariel, Rick, and David, who are joined by Sylvain Berneron, the Creative Director at Breitling. To kick off the show, our hosts briefly discuss Ariel’s trip with Norqain and David’s experience at an Omega event last week, where they didn’t show the new Speedmaster X-33 Marstimer but rather only had the novelties that were presented several months ago. From there, it’s a deep dive into stainless steel sports watches as a response to an opinion article written by David, in which he argues that there are simply too many steel sports models when the material itself has inherent shortcomings. Our hosts discuss how the greater meaning of a stainless steel sports watch has changed over the years, along with all of the various pros and cons of the material itself, before Sylvain remarks that stainless steel is a perfectly Swiss material since it’s the perfect compromise between a number of different aesthetic and functional attributes.

After discussing all things related to stainless steel, a question from Rick about strap material choices turns the conversation to titanium. Sylvain offers some insight about the different grades of titanium that are used in watchmaking, how they differ from each other, and why grade 2 is his personal favorite. After discussing two of the most utilitarian metals used in watchmaking, our hosts then take the opportunity to talk about the Norqain Wild ONE, which is a new sports watch that features a case largely not made from metal at all. After breaking down its unique shock-absorbing design and analyzing its placement within the greater industry, our hosts then turn their attention to the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Ultra Deep, and whether or not it is a good thing that it offers an absolutely massive depth rating yet doesn’t look like a piece of highly specialized dive equipment. After Sylvain reveals the specific depth that will more-or-less crush a person and how most of today’s dive watches are already more than capable of surviving it, our hosts wrap up the show by talking about how watches like the Omega Ultra Deep can often serve as ways for brands to showcase their technologies and explore a design language in a manner that often has widespread appeal outside of just the collector and enthusiast space.

Show Notes

3:43

https://www.ablogtowatch.com/omega-unveils-the-speedmaster-x-33-marstimer-watch/

9:20

https://www.ablogtowatch.com/grinding-gears-do-we-really-need-this-many-steel-bracelet-sports-watches/

29:27

https://www.ablogtowatch.com/norqain-jean-claude-biver-launch-shock-absorbent-independence-wild-one-watches/

43:13

https://www.ablogtowatch.com/hands-on-omega-seamaster-planet-ocean-6000m-ultra-deep-watch/

aBlogtoWatch launched the first-ever podcast about watches back in 2010 and continues to be the most referenced and respected publication for watch enthusiasts, buyers, and collectors in the world. Today, in addition to the website and social media channels, aBlogtoWatch produces the SUPERLATIVE podcast interview program as well as aBlogtoWatch Weekly.

We'd love to hear from you with feedback or suggestions for future show topics or guests. Advertising opportunities are also available. Comment or contact Podcasts@aBlogtoWatch.com

Which Watch Brand Has The Best Ambassadors? Plus In-Depth Reviews Of The Bulgari Octo Finissimo Sejima Edition and New Tag Heuer Formula 1 Watches

For this episode of aBlogtoWatch Weekly, Ariel is on the road with Norqain in Switzerland to cover an exciting upcoming launch, so Rick and David are joined by George Bamford from Bamford Watch Department and Simon from Escapement24. After kicking off the show by discovering that George enjoys roller skating, our hosts briefly discuss the recent funeral of Queen Elizabeth II before diving into a deep conversation about watch companies and their brand ambassadors. After talking about why Roger Federer was such a good ambassador for Rolex and who might be able to fill his shoes, the discussion then shifts to Richard Mille and some of the genius tactics it has used in regard to maximizing the exposure generated by famous people wearing its watches. Once the conversation about brand ambassadors is wrapped, we then get to learn which stainless steel Rolex sports watch Simon recently passed up the opportunity to purchase at retail because he feels that profit-seeking behavior takes the magic out of this hobby, and as he so eloquently put it, “every time somebody buys a watch purely as an investment, a watch fairy dies somewhere.”

From there, our quartet of hosts starts talking about the various watches that they regret passing up purchasing, and we learn that Rick probably should have bought a lot more watches over the course of the last several years. After spending some time dwelling on missed opportunities, it’s an in-depth conversation about the new Bulgari Octo Finissimo Sejima Edition and why this mirror-finished watch is absolutely fantastic, despite also completely failing at the one actual function of a wristwatch, which is telling you the time in an easy and straightforward manner. After our hosts, all agree that the Sejima Edition is the model that officially proves the design of the Octo is iconic, it’s on to a discussion about the new Tag Heuer Formula 1 watches and how the modern range fits into the greater legacy created by the originals. After figuring out which colors are everyone’s favorites, our hosts close out the show by talking a little bit about the Tag Heuer brand itself, along with the overall importance of the Formula 1 collection to the brand outside of watch enthusiast circles.

Show Notes:

14:50

https://www.ablogtowatch.com/richard-mille-debuts-rm-35-03-automatic-rafael-nadal-watch/

20:00

Rolex Explorer II 42mm 226570 Watch Debuts For 2021 | aBlogtoWatch

29:30

https://www.ablogtowatch.com/review-iwc-pilots-watch-chronograph-top-gun-edition-lake-tahoe/

32.22

https://www.ablogtowatch.com/hands-on-bulgari-octo-finissimo-sejima-edition-watch-with-mirror-dial/

43:04

https://www.ablogtowatch.com/hands-on-debut-tag-heuer-formula-1-chronograph-colors-watches/

We'd love to hear from you with feedback or suggestions for future show topics or guests. Advertising opportunities are also available. Comment or contact Podcasts@aBlogtoWatch.com

The Apple Watch Ultra, New Smartwatches From Tag Heuer, Louis Vuitton, And Sequent, Plus A Look At The Credor Eichi II And Why G-Shock Won’t Make A Smartwatch

In this episode ofaBlogtoWatch Weekly, Ariel, Rick, and David are joined by Andrew from Watchfinder & Co. for a deep dive into the world of smartwatches. Given the recent release of a new generation of Apple Watches and the massive amount of attention that the Apple Watch Ultra has received from traditional collectors and enthusiasts, our hosts kick off the show by answering the question of whether or not the Apple Watch should even be considered a watch in the first place. From there, the conversation gets into why the new adventure-ready Apple Watch Ultra appeals to many individuals who historically had no interest in traditional smartwatches, along with whether or not its design was influenced by the traditional Swiss timepiece industry. Given its more durable construction and ability to even function as a proper dive computer, our hosts bring up the point as to why many people tend to inherently trust Apple over many traditional watch manufacturers when it comes to things like depth ratings, along with how Apple is able to excel at creating intuitive and easily digestible interfaces.

Although the new generation of Apple Watches is arguably the biggest news from the world of connected devices, it is hardly the only option available within the space, and our quartet of hosts then get into a conversation about some of the other premium smartwatches that are currently available, such as those produced by Tag Heuer and Louis Vuitton. After discussing why these models fill different roles within the greater connected watch landscape, Ariel then offers some insight on why Casio has decided not to pursue smartwatches, despite its G-Shock range being regarded as the go-to digital timepiece for rugged use. After pondering the question of whether or not any wearable connected device will be able to dethrone the Apple Watch at some point in the near future, our hosts move to the complete opposite end of the timepiece spectrum to talk about the ultra-premium Credor Eichi II and its different approach to luxury, before moving back to the topic of connected devices with the unconventional and irreverent Sequent Smart(ass) Watch that was created in collaboration with seconde/seconde/. To wrap up the show, our hosts look at some of the various shortcomings of smartwatches and get into the details of why connected devices such as the Apple Watch aren’t currently entirely solar powered, along with when we might be able to see brands produce models that are able to charge themselves autonomously.

Show Notes

2:38

https://www.ablogtowatch.com/hands-on-the-apple-watch-ultra/

24:02

https://www.ablogtowatch.com/hands-on-with-the-louis-vuitton-tambour-horizon-light-up-luxury-smartwatch/

https://www.ablogtowatch.com/watch-review-tag-heuer-connected-e4-smartwatch/

35:04 

https://www.ablogtowatch.com/hands-on-casio-dw5600-gu-7-g-shock-universe-watch/

46:28

https://www.ablogtowatch.com/hands-on-seiko-credor-eichi-ii-watch/

50:57

https://www.ablogtowatch.com/hands-on-sequent-smartass-watch-collaboration-with-seconde-seconde/

We'd love to hear from you with feedback or suggestions for future show topics or guests. Advertising opportunities are also available. Comment or contact Podcasts@aBlogtoWatch.com

In this episode ofaBlogtoWatch Weekly, Ariel, Rick, and David sit down with Paul (@f1ptb) to discuss some of their favorite new releases from Geneva Watch Days, along with the latest news and reviews from the greater world of watches. To kick off the show, our quartet of hosts briefly discuss the prices of cheeseburgers in Geneva before diving into a conversation about whether or not watch brands are actually listening to the people who buy their products and the overall influence of the collecting community within the industry. The discussion then turns to some of the watches that serve as examples of when brands have given the public more-or-less exactly what it wants, with the new Tudor Pelagos 39 serving as a perfect instance of how a company can look at the data and create a watch that is (almost) exactly like what people have been asking them to make for years.

After getting into the details over whether or not the Tudor Pelagos 39 should even be considered a new watch when it is really more of an extension to the existing range, the show takes a brief moment to listen to a message from Rick’s wife, Mrs. ABlogtoWatch Weekly. During last week’s episode, Ariel brought up the point about how the western world needs to find new occasions to buy watches for each other, and somehow Rick forgot to mention that he and his wife recently took their daughter watch shopping to get her a graduation present. After getting filled in on the experience and learning that Rick’s daughter also has expensive taste when it comes to timepieces, it’s back to new watch releases and discussing a few personal favorites from Geneva Watch Days. We learn that David’s favorite new launch from the show was the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Sejima Special Edition, before our hosts dive into a conversation about the Golden Hour from Mr. Jones Watches, the new Nicolas Rieussec Chronographs from Montblanc, and whether or not Carl F. Bucherer should be considered a retailer brand or watch manufacturer.

Show Notes:

06:00

Is Anyone Listening? A Glance At The Watch Community's Influence On The Industry

13:29

aBlogtoWatch Hands-On: Tudor Pelagos 39 Titanium Dive Watch

28:51

Bulgari Presents The Octo Finissimo Sejima Edition Watch | aBlogtoWatch

35:46

aBlogtoWatch Hands-On: Mr. Jones Watch The Golden Hour Celebrates English Gardens 

38:45

aBlogtoWatch Montblanc Debuts New Star Legacy Nicolas Rieussec Chronograph Watches

45:19

aBlogtoWatch Carl F. Bucherer Debuts 40mm Manero Flyback Watches

We'd love to hear from you with feedback or suggestions for future show topics or guests. Advertising opportunities are also available. Comment or contact Podcasts@aBlogtoWatch.com

For this episode ofaBlogtoWatch Weekly, Rick and David are in Switzerland, recording live from the ground while covering Geneva Watch Days 2022. To kick off the show, they first take a moment to catch up with Ariel and chat with him about his thoughts on why he feels that the western world needs to create new watch buying rituals and ultimately find new occasions to purchase timepieces for each other, before then briefly discussing why esports might be a good way to reach the next generation of buyers. From there, it’s all about new watch releases, and the trio discuss the brand-new Oris Divers Sixty-Five with the Caliber 400 movement and why it could easily be the only watch that a person would ever need. Ariel also takes the opportunity to announce an upcoming event that aBlogtoWatch will be hosting at a local brewery in Los Angeles with Oris on September 6th, 2022, where the Oris Airstream trailer and its showcase of the company’s history and innovation will be presenting there (RSVP by emailing rsvp@ablogtowatch.com). The conversation then shifts to the opposite end of the price spectrum and the three hosts talk about ultra-expensive luxury sports watches, and whether or not brands like Greubel Forsey, MB&F, and H. Moser & Cie. are starting to challenge Richard Mille when it comes to creating the go-to sports watch for the mega wealthy. After Ariel reveals his personal choice within the mega-expensive sports watch genre, he says goodbye to Rick and David who then head off to a few appointments to catch up with some of the various brands presenting live at Geneva Watch Days. First is a quick chat with the folks at MB&F, who offer some insight into the new Split Escapement EVO watches and reveal a hint about which one of the LAB editions is coming next, along with dropping a few hints about the model including that it won’t be a Split Escapement watch. From there, the duo heads over to speak with Ulysse Nardin about its new gem-set rainbow novelties. Rick and David are both big fans of Ulysse Nardin and rainbow watches, and after having a thoroughly good time checking out the manufacturer’s latest statement-piece releases, the pair head over to Maurice LaCroix to talk about its new Pontos watches, the importance of the Aikon collection, and why its retail partners are still the best way of telling the company’s story and allowing it to connect with its customers. Although Tudor isn’t specifically participating in Geneva Watch Days 2022, the brand still took the opportunity to launch a new watch, so Rick then sits down to talk with Ripley from aBlogtoWatch and Simon from Escapement24 to discuss the surprise release of the Tudor Pelagos 39. While Rick may still not believe that anything under 44mm is even a proper timepiece, the trio all agree that this new 39mm Pelagos is (almost) the model everyone has been asking them to make, and that it’s clear that Tudor is listening to its customers. 

Show Notes:

 4:12 — Ariel's Thoughts: The West Needs Some New Watch-Buying Rituals | aBlogtoWatch 

20:59 — Oris Unveils Regular-Production Divers Sixty-Five 12H Calibre 400 Watch | aBlogtoWatch aBlogtoWatch And Oris Team Up For A Summer Celebration At Arts District Brewing Company | aBlogtoWatch 

24:47 — Greubel Forsey Unveils Limited-Edition GMT Balancier Convexe Watch | aBlogtoWatch MB&F Unveils Legacy Machine Split Escapement EVO Watches | aBlogtoWatch 

35:20 — MB&F Interview 38:22 — Ulysse Nardin Interview 

44:30 — Maurice LaCroix Interview

 51:00 — Tudor Unveils The Pelagos 39 Watch

We'd love to hear from you with feedback or suggestions for future show topics or guests. Advertising opportunities are also available. Comment or contact Podcasts@aBlogtoWatch.com

In this episode of aBlogtoWatch Weekly, Ariel, Rick, and David are joined by Simon from Escapement24, and our quartet of hosts sit down to discuss some of the latest articles and new releases from this week in the world of watches. Last episode, the off-topic question came up about how many whales you could fit inside Wales, and to kick off the show, Matt from the Spirit of Time podcast phones in to inform us that he has done the math, and the country of Wales can fit approximately 185,653,333 blue whales inside of it. After sorting out that important bit of business, the conversion then turns to watches and how the secondary market for Rolex models has been crashing in China, with a 46% drop in price compared to the inflated values from last year. After briefly discussing the concept of a “man drawer” once again and Rick coming to the realization that he doesn’t just have a single drawer allocated to his junk, but rather entire sheds full of it on his farm, our hosts then get into a conversation about the various factors that can make watches uncomfortable to wear, along with the most physically painful watches our hosts have ever experienced.

From there, the discussion shifts to the idea of sustainability within the watch industry and how certain environmentally-friendly buzzwords end up getting co-opted by brands in the name of marketing efforts and corporate greenwashing. Ariel brings up the point that given how little physical material actually goes into the production of watches, it may not be a worthwhile endeavor to pursue more sustainable manufacturing materials, when the entire watch industry itself is based upon the celebration of indulgence rather than outright economy or efficiency. The conversation then takes a quick break for a surprise interview with Mike France from Christopher Ward, who gives us a sneak peek at the brand new C60 Trident Pro 300 and what we can expect from the brand’s latest new model. David’s review of the diamond-set digital watch from Casio is now live on the site, and our hosts briefly discuss the possible motives behind why Casio produced such a model in the first place, before wrapping up the show by talking about some of their favorite discontinued watches and which ones they would like to see make a comeback.

14:45

Grinding Gears: Why Some Watches Are Uncomfortable & Possible Solutions To The Problem | aBlogtoWatch

26:38

Thoughts On How To Interpret Sustainability And Environmental Friendliness Claims From Watch Brands | aBlogtoWatch

33:05

Christopher Ward C60 Trident Pro 300

47:45

Casio A159WAD-1D Watch Review: Should You Buy The Cheapest-Ever Diamond-Set Watch? | aBlogtoWatch

53:10

No Longer Made: Louis Moinet Jules Verne Instrument Watch | aBlogtoWatch

We'd love to hear from you with feedback or suggestions for future show topics or guests. Advertising opportunities are also available. Comment or contact Podcasts@aBlogtoWatch.com

In this episode ofaBlogtoWatch Weekly, Ariel is away attending to other business, so Rick and David are joined by guest host Andrew — a.k.a. “The Man With The Hands” from Watchfinder & Co. to talk about the latest news and reviews from this week in the world of watches. To start the show, a quick message from Jake, the aBlogtoWatch Social Media & Community Manager, sets off a discussion about how the ever-changing algorithms are forcing everyone to use “Rolex” in YouTube titles as clickbait, which spirals into a conversation about the psychology behind clickbait itself and how the way we consume video content has changed over the years. To properly measure the effects of clickbait, the trio decides to conduct an experiment using two different titles for this podcast episode, and given how discussing clickbait-worthy topics seems to come naturally to Andrew, you can have fun guessing about which version you're actually seeing.

From there, the conversation gets into Rolex and how the brand became the world’s most famous watchmaker, along with why Andrew thinks Porsche is the car company most like Rolex (see, we told you he naturally talks about clickbait-worthy topics). After discussing the homogenization of people’s preferences in regards to watch collecting, the trio gets into a discussion about affordable GMT watches, the cheapest diamond-set watch available, and the least expensive timepieces in everyone’s collections that receive wear on a regular basis. Finishing up the discussion of new releases and reviews is a conversation about whether or not the removable grill on the latest Cartier Pasha is just a plot to make more money on replacements when customers inevitably lose theirs, followed by a brief discussion about the new Seiko Speedtimer and the brand’s obsession with difficult naming conventions. Lastly, rounding out the show is a brief look forward and what we can expect from both Andrew and Watchfinder & Co. in the near future.

34:34

Actually Affordable: Bottom-Dollar GMT Watches | aBlogtoWatch

42:34

Hands-On: Cartier Pasha With Removable Grille Watch | aBlogtoWatch

49:34

Seiko Debuts The Prospex Speedtimer Chronograph SRQ043 Watch  | aBlogtoWatch

aBlogtoWatch launched the first-ever podcast about watches back in 2010 and continues to be the most referenced and respected publication for watch enthusiasts, buyers, and collectors in the world. Today, in addition to the website and social media channels, aBlogtoWatch produces the SUPERLATIVE podcast interview program as well as aBlogtoWatch Weekly.

We'd love to hear from you with feedback or suggestions for future show topics or guests. Advertising opportunities are also available. Comment or contact Podcasts@aBlogtoWatch.com