If you think big, plastic, and inexpensive when you think Casio G-Shock, I’m about to change your perception of Casio forever. MR-G is the name of Casio’s premium G-Shock line, and Casio spared neither feature nor expense designing and manufacturing these watches.
One of the reasons you probably haven’t heard of the MRG line of G-Shocks is that they aren’t sold in the US. And the reason they aren’t sold in the US is simple: at a price point of between $1,500 and $3,000, nobody in their right mind would buy one. Except, it would seem, me.
The MRG-7600D is the "cheapest" of the three MRGs that Casio currently sells, but it’s my favorite. The MRG-8100B — the Holy Grail of Casio G-Shocks — is an undeniably sharp watch, but in my opinion, it’s also less practical. The big difference between the two models is the use of analog displays versus digital. The higher-end 8100 has no digital readouts at all, opting instead for three subdials and a date wheel. The 7600D, on the other hand, has two subdials and two "negative" (light on black) LCDs. Although I do agree that the purely analog 8100B looks classier, I find accessing the (extensive) functionality of the 7600D far easier and more practical.
I like to group the features of the 7600D into two categories. Let’s call them premium features (features that set the MRG line apart from all other Casios, and most other watches in the world), and standard features (features that can be found in most G-Shocks of reasonable caliber).
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This is the Vortech GMT from Momentum, an outdoor-focussed brand from Vancouver, BC that we quite like. Let’s start with some specifications:
- Titanium case, 44.0mm by 11.9mm, 53.1mm lug to lug. 7mm screw-down crown, 22mm lugs, total width 48.0mm including crown. 66g on the strap.
- Available with mineral or sapphire crystal
- Swiss quartz movement with GMT and extra-loud alarm and snooze and low-battery indicator
- SuperLuminova lume on hands and dial
- Subseconds at two o’clock
- Water resistant to 100m (330ft)
- 2 year warrant with 4/6 year extension
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Alongside the new white-dialed Solo and the production-ready ALT-1WT, Bremont also launched their newest limited edition at BaselWorld this year. This new Bremont flagship is called the Victory, and in keeping with the philosophy of their hugely successful EP120 and P-51 limited editions, the Victory actually sources some of its materials from the HMS Victory. Bremont is working in a partnership with The Nations Museum of the Royal Navy to build these limited edition pieces which source both oak timber and copper from the famous 18th century ship.
The Victory is an automatic chronograph with retrograde seconds and retrograde date powered by the BE-83AR movement which features 39 jewels, a 46 hour power reserve, and is fully decorated. Measuring 43 x 17 mm, the Victory will be available in either stainless steel or rose gold and will come fitted with a PVD copper inner barrel made of copper sourced from the HMS Victory. Further details for this British designed chronograph include a case back which features a hand-etched sapphire crystal and even integrates oak from the HMS Victory that you can see after the jump.
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Following in the success of the Megalodon 4, Benarus has announced their newest model, the Sea Snake. Benarus seems to have a knack for developing distinct and rather original designs, and the new Sea Snake is no exception. Featuring a 44 x 14 mm stainless steel case with a lug to lug length of only 50mm, the Sea Snake should be completely at home on most wrists and, given its 42 mm bezel, it will likely wear a bit smaller than its 44 mm case size would suggest. This new Benarus three-hander is powered by the reliably ubiquitous ETA 2824-2 and employs a domed sapphire crystal, wide-set 24 mm lugs and a lumed bezel scale to round out its spec sheet.
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After being very much impressed by the Helson Shark Diver 42mm, we were curious to see what Helson would release next. Regardless of our estimations, the new Buccaneer 47mm would have been hard to predict. The original Helson Buccaneer was a 45mm GMT diver with an external bezel and a stainless steel case and was one of the early stars of the Helson brand. This new Buccaneer 47mm has almost nothing in common with the original, instead featuring titanium construction, an internal bezel and a massive 47mm case. This new Buccaneer is a distinct and rather original design from Helson, and we were quite excited to see it in person and try it for ourselves. Boasting an unusual case design but displaying all of the traits of a capable sport diver, the Buccaneer 47mm is definitely worth considering if your taste in divers strays towards the extra large persuasion.
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If you have any doubts that the general public wants “smartwatches” to work in tandem with their smartphones, you may want to lay them to rest. The
Pebble E-Paper Watch from
Pebble Technology originally set out to with a $100,000 Kickstarter goal to fund the development of an app driven, smartphone-centric, E-Paper based watch but found themselves flying past their goal, having raised 1 million dollars in pledges in their first 28 hours. As of the time of writing, the Pebble has garnered well over 5 million dollars worth of support from over 36,000 backers, making the Pebble the most funded Kickstarter campaign ever. The Pebble can credit great timing, a nice design, and an excellent price point for their hugely successful Kickstarter project.
This is the Pathfinder II, an outdoor-focussed creation from Momentum watches of Vancouver BC. Aimed at the active outdoors life, it’s my favorite combination of titanium and sapphire. Let’s start with the specifications:
- Titanium case, waterproof to 100m (330ft). Screwdown crown, non-screwdown alarm button at 2 o’clock.
- Sapphire crystal (mineral version also available)
- Full lume dial
- Quartz movement with date and analog-set alarm with snooze function.
- 37.4mm by 10.2mm thick, 40.4 including the crown. 45g including strap. 20mm lugs.
- Model number reviewed is 1M-SP54L12C; also comes in black-dial and women’s version in 28mm.
- List price of $185 for mineral crystal, $225 for sapphire.
Please read on for the full review and pictorial.
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Victorinox has announced a new model in their Chrono Classic line up which builds on the well-loved platform by adding a scratch resistant ceramic bezel. The new 41 mm Chrono Classic Ceramic can be had with either a standard stainless steel case (black or white dial) or with a gold-tone case and white dial. These nicely sized and attractive quartz-powered chronographs even feature anti-reflective sapphire crystals, which is great to see at this price point. Victorinox has been making tough but wrist-friendly quartz chronographs for a long time and the Chrono Classic range has always been a great option for those looking to upgrade their Timex to something a bit classier but at a price that isn’t too dear.
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While we did not have the pleasure of attending Basel this year, we have tapped all of our resources to bring you an update on one of our favorite brands.
Bremont made a splash at Basel by announcing a couple of excellent-looking new watches and unfortunately being the victim of a robbery. There is very little that we know about the robbery except that the thieves made off with quite a few Bremont models and our religious sources have confirmed there is a special level of hell for those who steal watches. Returning to the news at hand, remember the Bremont ALT1-WT that we showed you in January? Click past the jump for some live photos of both the black and the blue dial production models and even a look at the new Solo.
Seasoned Watch Report readers will know OCEAN7 very well. Over the past few years WR has reviewed a half dozen watches produced by the Florida-based brand and we have always been impressed by the quality, design and value that OCEAN7 presents with with each model. Today’s review focuses on a new version of OCEAN7’s dress diver, the LM-5. This new model incorporates a practical and watch-nerd-approved GMT complication into the already lovely design of the LM-5 diver. With a laundry list of features, a rock-solid Swiss movement and a versatile wrist-friendly design, the OCEAN7 LM-5 GMT appears to cover the most important bases for a dress diver and still manage to set its self apart from the base LM-5 in more ways than simply having a fourth hand.
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