The Cartier Drive and some watch browsing

A fellow watch enthusiast and an AD for some big brands, Irfan, invited us watch lovers in Mumbai for the launch of the new Cartier Drive watches. In case you're not familiar with them, these are new time pieces by Cartier that have their design inspired by vintage automobiles. From the car grill inspired guilloché dial to a crown that resemble a nut, you can see the attention to detail. Add to it a beautiful 41mm cushion shape case and the classic Roman numerals that Cartier has perfected, you get a watch thats simply stunning!

Stainless Steel

Pink Gold

I tried on the stainless steel and the pink gold variants and honestly couldn't decide which one I liked more (I really wanted to wear one on each wrist). I feel the Drive can switch from a dressy look to a sporty one seamlessly.

The launch was done in partnership with Ducati, so they also had two fantastic bikes on display, which went in sync pretty well with the concept of the Drive watches.

I really wish I had my good camera, but I had to make do with my not-so-good camera phone once again.

Since Irfan had more watch brands available, we went crazy trying on as many watches we could lay our hands on. Apart from the Cartier, I tried on watches from IWC and JLC. He even graciously let us try on the gorgeous (with the price tag to match) IWC Portuguese Tourbillon!

IWC Portuguese Tourbillon

IWC Big Pilot

I took some more pictures, but they didn't come out too good :(

So a fun afternoon spent with wonderful fellow watch enthusiasts and of course some amazing time pieces. Thanks to Irfan for the invite and ensuring that we all had a great time :)

This one got me excited...almost!

I am subscribed to a news letter from Ethos, which is one of the bigger (if not biggest) watch boutique chains here, and every now and then, they send me these 'one time offers'. Most of the time, I simply dismiss them, as firstly, I am a bit short on dough, and secondly I have my aim set a bit high for my next watch - whenever that might be. Also most of the time, the offer is on this brand called Edox, that seems one of those brands that's priced as a higher-end brand, but isn't - this is strictly my personal opinion, and I maybe wrong.

So recently, I got another offer mail, but this time I thought I'll check it out just for the fun of it. The watch this time was an Edox Xtreme Pilot III, and I must say, its quite an eye catching piece. I quite like the green accents, although some may disagree.

Anyway, so the mail says that this watch retails for  Rs. 1,13,700 ($2088 USD), but its being offered at a flat 40% off, which brings it down to Rs.68220 ($1252 USD). Now, that's not a bad price for a watch like this. Lets have a look at he description:

Powered by a shock-resistant and durable chronograph movement, the Xtreme Pilot III features numerous inspiring complications. The black carbon dial houses chronograph functions, a date window at 6 o’clock and a tachymeter scale on the outer rim. The large 45mm case along with the over-sized electric green push button in anodized aluminium give the watch a distinctly bold appearance. Crafted in ultra-light titanium, the timekeeper runs on the Edox Calibre 103 movement. 

Ok, so it seems to be built pretty well, however my only gripe is the movement - Edox Calibre 103. For some reason, I was really hoping it was a mechanical one, and if it was, its a very good buy in my opinion. Sadly, after a bit of searching, I learnt that its based on a Ronda 5021.D, which is quartz.

Not too much of a quartz fan, I'll have to pass, but for those who don't mind the quartz movement - and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, I think this still is a decent buy. Want another reason to get it? They have also mentioned in the mail that its a limited edition watch with only three pieces available at Ethos. So, if you want it, contact your nearest Ethos :)

Laco Pilot 42 Type A Automatic - Ref: 861692 "Bremen"

Originally termed 'Beobachtungsuhr' or 'B-Uhr' for short, these type of watches were specially crafted for the German Luftwaffe pilots by A. Lange & Söhne, IWC, Wempe and the Pforzheim brands Laco and Stowa. The primary concern for these types of watches was the ease of readability even when the pilots were up in the air. For this very reason, a black dial with white luminous hands and numbers and a specially marked 12 o'clock denoted by a triangle with two small circles on the sides. Thus the Flieger, also commonly know as the Pilot or Aviator watch was born.

Laco Pilot 42 Type A Automatic - Ref: 861692 "Bremen"

Packaging: This watch come with a smart black leather zipper pouch which is pretty tough from the inside to protect it from any external damage. This leather case itself comes inside a nice cardboard box. Both the leather pouch and the cardboard box have 'Laco/1925' written on them on the bottom right corner, which in my mind looks pretty elegant.



The watch comes along with an additional black leather strap and a small manual which tells you how to set the time for all the different kinds of movements used by Laco.


First Impression: This watch is quite stunning in its own simple way. Definitely something that catches your attention. The leather strap with the rivets goes really well with the dial and enhances the overall look of the watch.



Case: 42mm wide and 12mm in height, stainless steel with a beautiful matte finish to it. It has "FL23883" engraved on the left and some more stuff on the back. The quality seems really good and has a nice feel to it. This one comes with a domed and anti-reflective sapphire crystal. and waterproof up to 5 ATM, which is good enough for your daily wear. Just like the original, this one comes with an 'onion crown' which looks great on a Flieger.



Movement: The Bremen runs on the ever dependable Swiss automatic ETA 2824-2. It has 25 jewels, does 28800 bph and has no date complication.

Dial: This model has the Type A dial, which excludes the inner circle as compared to the Type B dial. I prefer this one as its got a nice clean look to it. The hour marking have Arabic numbers and the traditional triangle for the 12.
The hands hands are nice and wide for easy readability, which was a very important factor while constructing these kinds of watches back when they were first produced. The hands also have a beautiful blue outline which gives the watch a very classy look. Both the hands and the hour markings have Superluminova C3 on them which is pretty bright once charged.



Strap: The watch comes with a nice thick brown calf leather strap with a couple of rivets on either side of the case, which look great, just like the original Laco Pilot. As mentioned above, this watch comes with an additional black leather strap, which I think is pretty sweet. The buckle had Laco engraved on it.


Overall Impression: This watch had been on my wish list for quite a while now and I can truly say that it doesn't disappoint at all. It really a stunning timepiece with very nice build quality. Like I mentioned in my earlier post, although the case is 42mm, it has the presence and the look of a 44-45mm case, but somehow doesn't appear over sized. It looks just right!
There are lots of companies that produce Fliegers, but not all of them are a part of its history. I think Laco has done a wonderful job recreating this stunning and classic timepiece, with great build quality and at an affordable price.

Its here!!

Yup, the Pilot is finally here! My dad told me that the salesperson told him that the watch had been in the display case for a long time. He even did a quick service before selling it, although I am not too sure how good it was as the crown seems a bit stiff when trying to wind it. Click on the pics to enlarge.

The watch definitely looks like an earlier model as compared to the one my brother bought. The case seems a lil 'edgy' and old fashioned and its has an extra line of text on the dial which I quite like. The lume seems a lil crusty and the numbers actually have an orange glow to it although very faint. The hands have a green glow like the newer model. Another thing I like is that the second hand on my watch is red.
In the end, I'm glad to finally have a Pilot in my collection. The strap on it is soft, but like i said earlier, I think I'll get a NATO for it.

Incoming....HMT Pilot!!

A few months ago, I had helped a fellow WUS member obtain a black HMT Pilot and although Bio and I picked up 3 of them (thats all they had at the HMT showroom). At that point, I didn't think of keeping one for myself as I thought I'll come by another one easily, and besides, I could always wear Bio's if I wanted to. Soon the watch grew on me and I started calling and asking watch shops in my area if they had one on them, but none of them did. In fact one salesman even asked me if I could let him know when I do come across one.
Last week my dad called up from my hometown and told me that he came across one at a small watch shop! Needless to say I was ecstatic and I asked him to pick it up immediately. I also asked him to pick up a black Kohinoor, since its too tempting not to pick up just one.
He should be in Mumbai by today evening and I just can't wait to finally own a Pilot! Maybe I'll get a NATO or a Zulu strap for it. Pics will be posted soon!