I was recently contacted by the public relations firm from Skagen, a Danish company that's been producing minimal dress watches for many years. Several of my friends wear them happily, so when they offered us a chance to email questions to co-founder Charlette Jorst (pictured) I was happy to accept.

As a bit of background, Skagen watches are typically quite slim, with a characteristic spare face and quartz movement. Most are dress-type watches that make good all-around wearers, and are very well priced at under $200. As such, they seem excellent candidates for Watch Report.

Their PR firm has also loaned a couple of watches for review, so please keep an eye out for those here on WatchReport.

Can you tell us a bit about the history of how Skagen watches came to be?

My husband and I started pounding the pavement in New York City with watches that companies could add their logo to.  The designs of the watches were received really well, and many vendors wanted the watches without a company logo, that they could sell at a retail level; and thus, Skagen Denmark watches came to fruition.

Over the past few months I have had the pleasure of sitting down with (read: frequently emailing) Mitch Feig, owner and founder of Ocean7 Watch co. You might remember that I had the opportunity to review two Ocean7 watches (the G2 and LM-2) earlier this year, and I walked away impressed with the high quality, reasonable prices, great customer service, and client interaction. After getting to know Mitch a little better, I feel he is yet another reason to consider buying an Ocean7. He is a successful entrepreneur who spends his time answering questions on forums, and ensuring that customer feedback never falls on a deaf ear.

JS: Have you always loved watches?

MF: Yes, I have always loved watches.  I have a degree in computer science, but I studied watch making for two years, in the early 1990’s. I am comfortable working on mechanical watches including chronographs. I have a little experience with quartz movements.

Ever wondered what the most accurate watch in the world is? It's probably not what you think.

You might guess a radio-controlled quartz watch like the Casio G-Shock Gulfman, or the Citizen Skyhawk. That's a good starting point. Atomic watches are very accurate if you can receive the radio signals. But there are large portions of the world where they don't reach (Central/South America, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, the poles, out on the ocean — even plenty of places that are technically within range, but for whatever reason, not conducive to signal penetration).

Another possible answer is a GPS watch like the Suunto X9i which works almost anywhere on the globe. Unfortunately, it has very limited battery life, and doesn't sync automatically.

Conventional quartz movements are generally accurate to ±15 seconds per month, or 3 minutes per year. That's good enough for pretty much any application, as evidenced by the fact that accuracy hasn't improved much since the 1970s. More modern technology has brought a few high-accuracy quartz movements:

• The ETA Thermoline movement, as used in some Breitlings.
• Seiko 8F and 9F movements, generally good to 10-20 seconds per year.
• And today's mystery contestant: the Citizen A660.

Say hello to one of the best wolf-in-sheep's clothing watches in existence: the Citizen Chronomaster (aka "The Citizen"). The A660 movement inside the Citizen Chronomaster is the most accurate in the world right now, rated to an amazing ±5 seconds per year. There's a variety of faces and hands, but the basic watch style is a very understated men's dress watch. The cost is around $1,100 - $1,300USD at present — not bad for such impressive technology and looks.

Specifications for the model shown to the right, the The Citizen Chronomaster CTQ57-1022 (our favorite):

Today I'd like to introduce you to another maker of fine aviation watches that we think you'll like: Fortis. Meaning "strong" in Latin, Fortis was founded in 1912 by Walter Vogt in Switzerland, and has made a strong resurgence since 1987. Specializing in flight and space watches, Fortis is the official supplier to the Russian space program and the International Space Station. They have a strong design aesthetic of clear faces, instrument-themed hands, and high-contrast dials. Very functional, and with their ETA/Valjoux movements, quite reliable as well. I'd like to pick a few out of their lineup to go over in detail.

The Fortis Flieger

Probably the most iconic Fortis is their classic Flieger watch. Built around the well-known ETA 2824-2 automatic movement, it's 40mm wide (also available in a 34mm wide case) and features a screw-down crown and caseback that combine for an unusual (for an aviation watch) 200m (660ft) water resistance. The super-hard sapphire crystal is anti-reflective coated on both sides, and the hands and indices are superluminova-coated for legibility under any conditions. I've actually opened one of these and regulated it; it's well-made and quite sturdy. I was impressed, and enjoyed wearing it for a day. The orange second hand is wonderful, and I really like the uncluttered face and dramatic hour & minute hands. With a street price of around $600, it's a good price for a solid Swiss watch of high function and durability.

If you like your dive watches colorful, distinctive, and rich with history, then we think you'll like Doxa SA. Founded in 1889 in Switzerland, Doxa foundered in the quartz crisis of the 1960s, but was reopened in 1997. Although they make a wide variety of watches, they are best known for their dive watches, and their perennial inclusion in the Dirk Pitt books by author Clive Cussler.

In 1967, Doxa's research led them to use an orange dial for visibility on their Sub 300T model which was unheard of at the time. Water absorbs some colors more than others, and Doxa's work found that orange remained legible to the greatest depths. The orange dial become a symbol of Doxa, and is now an option available on almost all serious dive watches (except the Rolex Sea-Dweller which has stubbornly stuck to black). Doxa also began incorporating an adjustable bezel with a decompression table into the Sub 300T. Resold in the US, it was a tremendous success and was reintroduced in 2002 as a special edition.

Doxa watches have a distinctive "cushion" case (referring to the shape), and since 1973, the crown is located at the 4 o'clock position for comfort (to prevent it from digging into your wrist). This, combined with the unique bezel, bracelets, and eye-catching colors, makes for a watch with great presence. They're very well made, as well, utilizing Swiss ETA movements of impeccable pedigree.

Doxa currently makes four hardcare dive watches:

• Sub 5000T
• Sub 1000T
• Sub 750T (GMT)
• T-Graph Sub 600T (chronograph)

Most of Doxa's dive watches are available in multiple colors which are indicated by the names Professional (orange), Sharkhunter (black), Caribbean (blue), and Divingstar (yellow).

There is plenty more to Doxa's history and innovation (Helium escape valves, Bugatti car dash clocks, 8-day movements, ratcheting dive suit extensions, etc.) which you can find on Doxa's site. The upshot is that if you're a serious diver, or if you just want a unique watch with good legibility and an interesting history, Doxa is a very good place to look.

Additional Resources:

• The Doxa homepage
• Doxa 40th anniversary book
• doxa300t.com
• Doxa entry on Wikipedia

View the Oceanus OCWM700TBA-1AV Photo Gallery.

Watch Report recently received the black Ion Plated Oceanus OCWM700TBA-1AV. Since I already reviewed its silver-colored titanium sibling (the Oceanus OCWM700TDA-1AV) which has identical functionality, I decided to use this opportunity to write an article on the process of turning metal watches black.

When deciding which materials to use for a watch case or bracelet, manufactures have to take several things into consideration like cost, intended use, desired color, and target weight. They also have to consider the drawbacks of various materials. For instance, titanium is strong, super light, durable, non-corrosive, non-allergenic (some people cannot wear stainless steel due to nickel allergies), and unlike stainless steel, it's unaffected by salt water. This combination makes titanium a great material for dive watches, however one drawback is that its surface hardness is relatively low which means it's easily scratched.

One method that can be used to change the surface properties of a material is called Physical Vapor Deposition, or PVD (you'll also see it labeled as Ion Plating, or IP, which is a variant on PVD). The PVD process involves placing the item to be coated in an inert (non-reactive) atmosphere, heating it up to 400° C or so (depending on the process), and basically spraying it with the molecules that you want to coat it with. That's the general process, however there are a lot of subtle variations like using charged ions for the ion plated variation. PVD has been around since 1838 and is heavily used in semiconductor manufacturing, automobiles, and many other places including, or course, watches.

PVD results in a coating up to a micron or so thick that's tightly bonded to the base material. It won't flake off, as the coating is interpenetrated with the underlying material which is what makes it different from paint, powder coats, or anodizing. If you hit it with sufficient force, however, you can go through the PVD and into the material below, and since it's still a coating, polishing to remove scratches is not recommended.

Another more advanced technique is Chemical Vapor Deposition, or CVD. The main difference between PVD and CVD is that the deposited material is produced via a chemical reaction instead of directly coating the surface. The titanium nitride hardening on the Citizen PMT56-2711 that I reviewed is the product of CVD, and holds up extremely well.

Better still is DLC, or diamond-like Carbon, where, via secret-sauce processes, the surface of a watch is coated with something very much like synthetic diamond! With an incredible surface hardness, this is very nearly impossible to scratch, and can been seen on some high-end Citizens like the Attesa, on the Casio MR-G watches, and on watches like the Rado V10K. DLC is also used in the engines of most super sport motorcycles, on implantable human heart pumps, and in other exotic tasks than can afford the artistry required to create it.

In the world of watches, PVD is most commonly used to produce a flat black "stealth" finish which is quite attractive. It wears better than the stainless or titanium underneath it, and is used on both cases and bracelets. There is a lot of variation in the technique used, so different brands and models will have different levels of durability; unfortunately, the relative quality is hard to discern when purchasing. Be aware that PVD cannot be re-applied, and even marquee brands like Panerai will only remove the coating if its damaged. Many people consider scratches in PVD finishes to be signs of real use, however. They feel that scratches give a "tool" watch some serious character, and wouldn't buff them out even if they could.

Say Hi to the Omega Speedmaster X-33. Introduced in 1998, this is one amazing watch. Omega literally flight (and crash) tested it with NASA and military pilots, experimenting with several design iterations before settling on and shipping two commercial versions. It was designed for pilots and space flight, and is rated by NASA for the mission to Mars. Without a doubt, this is one of the coolest and most interesting analog-digital watches ever made.

But of course, something this good just couldn't last. Unfortunately, the X-33 was made unavailable to the general public last year, and now you can only buy them if you work for NASA, or you're in the military. And if that weren't enough, rumor has it that you need to assemble an order of ten or more at once.

Features of the Omega Speedmaster X-33 include:

• Titanium case and bracelet (for light weight).
• Domed anti-reflective sapphire crystal, coated on both sides.
• Omega quartz movement developed specifically for this watch (caliber 1666), temperature compensated, rated to ± 0.1 seconds per day.
• 26-month battery with low-power indicator.
• Water-resistant to 30 meters (about 100 feet).
• 80dB alarm — incredibly loud for use in a cockpit environment. (Finally, a watch that you could actually use for an alarm clock.)
• 8 lux backlight — practically flashlight-bright.
• 42.25mm diameter case.
• Day, date, stopwatch, GMT, and a countdown timer.
• Standard daily alarm, and a second programmable alarm.
• Mission elapsed time (up to 999 days).
• Mission time alarm.
• Shipped in a box covered with spacesuit material (nice touch).
• Bidirectional 120-click ratcheting bezel for timing with the analog hands.
• Luminescent "bezel pearl" for night visibility.
• LCD "stealth" mode. (Clean up the dial by turning off the curved LCD display.)

List price for the X-33 was about $2,600, and they show up on eBay and on watch forums every now and then for about $1,500 - $2,000, depending on their condition.

Additional Resources:

• The Omega X-33 Product Page.
• A Pilot's Impression of the Omega X-33.
• Review of the Omega Speedmaster Professional X-33.

By Paul Hubbard

Sometimes all you want from a watch is the time and date in a nice, readable format. Not too fancy, not too cluttered, not too expensive. Even us gadget freaks get the urge to strap on a simple watch with a clear face sometimes. Allow me introduce the Citizen BM6400 watches, available with either a canvas strap (BM6400-00E, retail $175) or a bracelet (BM6400-51E, retail $225).

The list of features is as simple as the face of the watch itself:

• Time.
• Date.
• Non-reflective mineral crystal.
• Eco-drive solar powered.
• 200m water resistant (about 650 feet).
• All stainless steel.

I really like the clarity and readability of these watches, and the prices are even lower than retail if you search a bit. An excellent watch for those times when you Just Need A Watch.

By Paul Hubbard

I created Watch Report over three years ago because there wasn't enough of the right kind of watch information available online. My goal was to produce the best and most helpful online watch publication, and to help as many people as possible find the same kind of passion for watches that I have.

It wasn't long before emails started rolling in, and over time, I found myself spending as much time responding to emails as producing and editing content. I really like interacting one-on-one with Watch Report readers, but after three years, the amount of email I get has finally become overwhelming. Rather than give up, I decided to create the Watch Report Forums.

The Watch Report Forums will hopefully allow Watch Report readers to get personalized advice not only from me, but from other Watch Report readers, as well. And the best part is that, unlike individual emails, thousands of readers will benefit from every post.

I'm really anxious to see what kind of community builds up around Watch Report. There isn't much content in the forums yet since I just launched them today, so I encourage you to go check them out and jump right in to a new or existing discussion. See you over there!

Christian

TechnoMarine Abyss

Dive watches come in all shapes and sizes, and are available at all different price points. Most watches with a uni-directional rotating bezel and the ability to fit over a wetsuit claim more water resistance then most of us will ever need: usually around 100-200 meters. But the watches I cover in this article go way deeper than your typical diver; deeper than the current 1,220 meter Rolex Sea Dweller; deeper, even, than the Breitling Steelfish which maxes out at a comparably casual 2,000 meters. There are a handful of watches out there that can literally scrape the bottom of the deepest known parts of the ocean, and I call these watches "extreme divers".

The TechnoMarine Abyss

First up is the TechnoMarine Abyss. This avant-garde brand throws down an interesting looking watch that is ready to dive. The Abyss is a 42.5mm quartz-powered stainless steel dive watch which, at $650, represents the cheapest of the extreme divers. Although suspiciously light on details, TechnoMarine claims the Abyss can withstand 12,000 meters of water, or about 39,600 feet, which is about as deep as deep gets. This model comes in a choice of dial colors (blue, black, orange, silver, and yellow), and is outfitted with a mineral crystal. Something that sets the Abyss apart from the other extreme divers is the day of the week in additional to the date. Like all the extreme divers, the case of the Abyss is filled with silicone oil to keep the pressure equalized, and it has a very prominent air bubble which will undoubtedly draw bewildered looks and plenty of questions from perfect strangers.