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Two Broke Watch Snobs · Page 19

Shanghai Watches and the Birth of the Chinese Watch Industry Two Broke Watch Snobs
Ming scaling Mount Everest setting Feb 23, 2025

Shanghai Watches and the Birth of the Chinese Watch Industry

In watch culture today, “tool watches” are those meant for physical activity; the gym, swimming, scaling Mount Everest, setting new freediving records – you know, the things we all do, all the time. In reality, every watch is a tool, regardless of its water resistance rating or its ability to survive a drop from a three-story building. Organizing human activity is a major logistical challenge, and many require timing and coordination, though the degree to which that’s true varies. Timing military operations to achieve maximum pressure on the objective needs a little bit more coordination than meeting with some friends for lunch across town (though that may depend on the friend group).

Aquastar Benthos H2: Revisiting the Past, With an Eye on the Present Two Broke Watch Snobs
Jan 25, 2025

Aquastar Benthos H2: Revisiting the Past, With an Eye on the Present

Aquastar's Benthos 500 holds an important spot in dive watch history. First unveiled in 1970, it stood out from the crowd with its unique chronograph-like functionality and slow-moving 60-minute elapsed-time counter. It was bold, unconventional, and ahead of its time-until the Quartz Crisis swept the industry off course. But what if quartz hadn't disrupted the market so quickly? The new Aquastar Benthos H2 wonders just that, providing a design inspired by archival drawings from the late '60s while moving it towards modern tastes and technologies.

Watches and the Warfighter Two Broke Watch Snobs
Jan 23, 2025

Watches and the Warfighter

The uniform is uniform, but the watch remains an expressive blend of utility and aesthetic style unique to that military professional. Not exclusive to, but prevalent within the Special Operations community is the facilitation of relationships through common interests. The first SOF Truth states: “humans are more important than hardware”. For the Special Operations professional, people-not equipment, make the critical difference. Ironically, many of us are bonding over hardware…our watches.

A Look at the new IWC Pilot Mark XX Mercedes-AMG Petronas Team Two Broke Watch Snobs
IWC Pilot Mark XX Mercedes-AMG Jan 9, 2025

A Look at the new IWC Pilot Mark XX Mercedes-AMG Petronas Team

Let’s face it: when you think of Formula One, your first thought probably isn’t, “Gee, I hope IWC drops a new Mark XX today.” But here we are, and IWC is back in the F1 game for 2025 with yet another AMG Petronas tie-in. This time, we’re looking at a no-nonsense titanium Mark XX, a clean time-and-date piece decked out in enough Petronas green to make your Speedmaster a little jealous.

Longines Trolls Us With A $5,000 ‘Dive’ Watch Featuring a Fixed Bezel: The Ultra-Chron Carbon Two Broke Watch Snobs
Longines Trolls Us Jan 7, 2025

Longines Trolls Us With A $5,000 ‘Dive’ Watch Featuring a Fixed Bezel: The Ultra-Chron Carbon

Let me set the stage for you: somewhere in Switzerland, a Longines executive is sitting in a leather chair, sipping espresso, and staring out over the Alps. “What if,” they muse, “we take a perfectly good dive watch, strip it of its most basic functionality, make it out of fancy plastic, and charge five grand for it?” Cue applause from the boardroom, a slow clap from a guy in a turtleneck, and voilà-the Longines Ultra-Chron Carbon is born.

Panerai Luminor Marina Review: The PAM00777 Two Broke Watch Snobs
Panerai Luminor Marina Review Jan 6, 2025

Panerai Luminor Marina Review: The PAM00777

Every watch has a story, but some watches come with adventures baked right into their DNA. If you've listened back to our older podcast episodes, you'll know that my Panerai Luminor Marina PAM00777 is one of those pieces. It wasn't just the culmination of years of quiet admiration for the brand; it was the memento of a whirlwind day in Florence that, for a moment, felt like a nightmare.

Finding Joy in Watches Again: Plans for 2025 and Beyond Two Broke Watch Snobs
Dec 30, 2024

Finding Joy in Watches Again: Plans for 2025 and Beyond

It's been almost ten years since we've started the Two Broke Watch Snobs podcast and when I sit back to think about that, I can't help but realize how much this hobby has monopolized my time and headspace. It's not really a bad thing, well not all the time. But this year I really tried to be mindful about how much this deep interest impacted my day-to-day life, especially all the time that it takes up between family and work obligations. The truth is-and I think deep down we all know this-watch collecting is an exceedingly unnecessary endeavor when you think about life at a macroscopic scale.

Seiko’s New Prospex SPB481, SPB483, and SPB485 Dive Watches Two Broke Watch Snobs
Seiko s New Prospex SPB481 Oct 27, 2024

Seiko’s New Prospex SPB481, SPB483, and SPB485 Dive Watches

Seiko has an enduring lineup of "greatest hits" dive watches-from the rugged Turtle and Tuna to the angular Samurai. Yet with the release of the new Seiko Prospex models (SPB481, SPB483, and SPB485), Seiko introduces an eye-catching design that’s distinctly different from anything we’ve seen in its catalog, while still staying true to its tool-watch roots. I'm still not sure how I feel about these but I like that Seiko took a significant design leap with these new divers.

Duxot Henri Review: A Worthy Seamaster Homage for the Price, If You Don’t Pay Retail Two Broke Watch Snobs
Omega Seamaster Professional 300m Oct 14, 2024

Duxot Henri Review: A Worthy Seamaster Homage for the Price, If You Don’t Pay Retail

In my ongoing quest to find budget alternatives to the several thousand-dollar watches I pine over, I’ve discovered a new timepiece for which I’ve developed mixed feelings. The Duxot Henri Diver Automatic is the latest in my collection. I bought it after trying on an Omega Seamaster Professional 300m with the white dial and falling in love with it. Knowing it’d be a while before I could afford the Omega, and realizing it was just a little too large for my small wrists, I set out a suitable alternative.

Omega Launches New Speedmaster “First Omega in Space” With Cal. 3861 Two Broke Watch Snobs
Omega Launches New Speedmaster “First Oct 3, 2024

Omega Launches New Speedmaster “First Omega in Space” With Cal. 3861

If you thought Omega had reached its limit with vintage Speedmaster reissues, think again. Meet the latest revival in the iconic line: the new Omega Speedmaster First Omega in Space Anniversary Series. Powered by the cutting-edge Co-Axial Master Chronometer caliber 3861, this release isn’t just about the movement-it's a nod to a bygone era, with a twist.

Tudor Black Bay vs. Rolex Submariner - What’s in a name? Two Broke Watch Snobs
Tudor Black Bay vs Rolex Sep 30, 2024

Tudor Black Bay vs. Rolex Submariner - What’s in a name?

As I explained in my last piece, I am something of a Black Bay collector myself (picture the meme), having fallen for the 79220N Heritage Black Bay in 2015. Prior to this, however, I had already decided two years previously that I would buy a Rolex Submariner one day, somehow. Today, I want to focus on the 79220N Heritage Black Bay, the 79000N Black Bay 54 and the 124060 Submariner in my collection.

Introducing the New 2024 Raven Trekker Two Broke Watch Snobs
Sep 18, 2024

Introducing the New 2024 Raven Trekker

It's hard to believe it's been over a decade since the Raven Trekker was introduced to the watch world. Back then, it was a watch I read about constantly, and I was always drawn to the value the watch presented as an early collector. Over the years, it's been a pleasure to see Steve Laughlin's brand grow-as it brought us hits like the Venture and newer co-branded projects like the TrailTrekker. But in my eyes, the Trekker has always stood at the heart of his brand. We were always hungry to see how the model would grow with each new iteration, and now, Raven has announced the latest 2024 lineup of Raven Trekker models along with a version that calls back to an earlier Raven model-the Raven Vintage.

Rado Over-Pole Review Two Broke Watch Snobs
Rado Over-Pole Review Sep 16, 2024

Rado Over-Pole Review

In 2022, Rado re-released the Over-Pole as a limited edition of 1,965 pieces. The diameter remains as svelte as the original at 37mm. The height of the case is 10.4mm, and the lug-to-lug is 43mm. The lug width is 19mm, and it has a water resistance rating of 100m, though it does not have a screw-down crown. The case is fully polished. Interestingly, Rado chose to use a manually-wound movement for this reissue, rather than the automatic movement an original Over-Pole would have used. The movement is known as the Rado R862, and is modified from a Powermatic 80 found in other Swatch group watches. It has 80 hours of power reserve, and the Nivachron hairspring to increase its anti-magnetic properties. The movement is well finished, and can be seen through the watch’s transparent caseback.

Seiko Announces New Prospex 1968 Diver’s Modern Re-Interpretation SLA077 And SLA079 Two Broke Watch Snobs
Seiko Announces New Prospex 1968 Sep 3, 2024

Seiko Announces New Prospex 1968 Diver’s Modern Re-Interpretation SLA077 And SLA079

The Seiko Marinemaster rings a lot of bells when it comes to dive watches. Since its very inception, with the reference SBDX001, the Marinemaster was tagged as a robust, professional-grade diver. Fast forward to 2024, Seiko again reaches into the heritage that made the Marinemaster a legend by introducing the SLA077 and SLA079 as part of their Prospex collection.

Nine Years of Tudor Collecting Two Broke Watch Snobs
Tudor Collecting I found my Sep 1, 2024

Nine Years of Tudor Collecting

I found my way into watch collecting in 2014, with the ubiquitous SKX009J. I agonized over spending a “huge” £135 on that watch for days, after scouring the reviews and forums, before pulling the trigger from a certain Asian website. This was where it all began, and for a time, I was satisfied with this fan-favourite diver. 2014, coincidentally, was the year that Tudor came back to the UK, after its global hiatus and slow return to other markets from 2010. I remember seeing the 79220R Burgundy Black Bay for the first time and thinking - “Eww”. It was a gaudy colour, and the hour hand was a stupid shape! Some forgotten cousin of Rolex? ETA-2824 calibre? £2330? No thank you, sir, I have ALL THE SEIKOS to buy, which I promptly set about doing.

Orient Bambino 38 Expands with Fresh New Colors and Versatile Steel Bracelet Two Broke Watch Snobs
Ming Aug 27, 2024

Orient Bambino 38 Expands with Fresh New Colors and Versatile Steel Bracelet

While Orient's Bambino series has built its reputation as an ultimate bang-for-the-buck final destination for every automatic dress watch wannabe, the new additions to the Bambino 38 collection only further reinforce this claim. In 2022, the company released a baby Bambino in the form of the Bambino 38-a slightly smaller and unisex version of the rather notably famous 40.5mm sibling-still aiming at that smaller customer group wanting something dressier, a bit more versatile, and refined. Now, with three new dial colors and a steel bracelet hitting the market, the Bambino 38 has some serious potential to wow a fresh new audience.

Longines Spirit Zulu Time Titanium Announced As A Non-Limited Edition Two Broke Watch Snobs
Longines Spirit Zulu Time Titanium Aug 22, 2024

Longines Spirit Zulu Time Titanium Announced As A Non-Limited Edition

Earlier this month, Longines debuted a new non-limited version of their popular Spirit Zulu Time in Titanium. Back when the brand partnered with Hodinkee for an exclusive limited edition, folks were a bit critical of the fact that the watch seemed strikingly similar to the Tudor Black Bay Pro, a point of criticism that didn't really concern me. It was a handsome watch, in my opinion but I wasn't a fan of the FOMO associated with the limited edition. Thankfully, if you were a fan of the idea behind the watch, you now have an option to pick up a model that arguably looks a little more refined - with features like a grade 5 titanium case and bracelet and a "true" GMT movement.

Hands-On Video Review: Nomos Zürich World Time Midnight Blue Two Broke Watch Snobs
Nomos Zürich World Time Midnight Aug 19, 2024

Hands-On Video Review: Nomos Zürich World Time Midnight Blue

The Nomos Worldtimer is an interesting watch in the German Watchmaker’s catalog. It’s Nomos’ most complicated watch and their second most expensive, underneath the precious metal Lambda collection. The Zurich is called a worldtimer in name, but in reality it serves more as a GMT watch than a true worldtimer. Worldtimer’s tell time across time zones at a glance whereas the Zurich has the ability to advance the local time in 1hr increments while the sub-dial maintains 24-hr time in a set time zone. Nomos has made this watch for a long time. I found articles and blog posts referencing it going back to 2011. This is remarkable, on one hand, because it mean that Nomos’ has resisted the urge to build increasingly complicated watches and focused on truly honing their craft on the existing catalog.

Stowa Verus GMT Chrono Black Forest Limited: A Dark, Minimalist Evolution Two Broke Watch Snobs
Stowa Aug 15, 2024

Stowa Verus GMT Chrono Black Forest Limited: A Dark, Minimalist Evolution

In a move that amplifies its modern interpretation of classic pilot's watches, Stowa has introduced the Verus GMT Chrono Black Forest Limited, a watch that builds on the design DNA of the 2021 Verus GMT Chrono. This time, the watch has been given a stealthy makeover with a matte black DLC-coated case that stays true to the brand's ethos, while adding a layer of sophistication that will undoubtedly appeal to collectors. But when Stowa says "limited" here, they really mean it. There are only 10 of these! Sheesh.

Mido Introduces the Ocean Star Decompression Timer 1961 Limited Edition in Black PVD Two Broke Watch Snobs
Mido Introduces Aug 13, 2024

Mido Introduces the Ocean Star Decompression Timer 1961 Limited Edition in Black PVD

Mido has a knack for nostalgia, and with the latest release in their Ocean Star Decompression Timer series, they’ve really leaned into that heritage vibe one last time. Dropping the curtain on a line that’s been a hit since 2020, this final installment in the series wraps things up with a limited edition that’s drenched in a deep black PVD coating, giving it a look that’s both modern and timeless.

The Watch that Made AliExpress Homages Cool Two Broke Watch Snobs
Omega Seamasters these brands specialize Aug 10, 2024

The Watch that Made AliExpress Homages Cool

When it comes to provenance, nothing has less of it than an AliExpress homage. On this online platform based in China that sells inexpensive Chinese products, there are plenty of watch brands (or should I say manufacturers?) offering copycat versions of watches with actual provenance. Selling everything from look-alike Seiko Turtles to Omega Seamasters, these brands specialize in affordable (often in the $100 to $300 dollar range) versions of popular watches.

Introducing the Bremont Broadsword Recon Bronze Two Broke Watch Snobs
Bremont Broadsword Recon Bronze After Aug 8, 2024

Introducing the Bremont Broadsword Recon Bronze

After a controversial release cycle at Watches & Wonders this year, Bremont seems to be iterating on a core design that probably won't raise as many eyebrows this time. The new Bremont Broadsword Recon Bronze is now the next installment within the brand's "Military" lineup. You've seen the design before, but now, Bremont is taking time to refresh some interest in models that didn't spend as much time in the spotlight earlier in the year. Personally, I like the look-even though the case material would usually lead me to shy away.

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