Talking about watches and inspiration can spawn some pretty interesting debates, and for good reason – especially in the dive watch category. Of course, early dive watches weren’t “inspired by” anything; dive watches were tools created with a very distinct purpose. That said, as the years went on and the dive watch category moved away from practical utility towards desirable daily-wearers, design inspiration soon came into play. Today we’re looking at luxury watches inspired by the ocean, and digging into the stories behind the creation of each piece and how they relate to the big blue beyond.As mentioned above, there is no reason to go into a Rolex Submariner history lesson here; however, the Rolex Sea-Dweller Deepsea with D-Blue dial (a variant of the original Deepsea that was first unveiled in 2008) has a very distinct connection to our world’s deepest waters.The origins of this piece come from Rolex’s involvement in (read: sponsorship of) James Cameron’s deep dive into the Mariana Trench. Though not limited in production, the piece is commemorative of the 2012 dive, and features a gradient blue to black dial that mimics the loss of light as one descends into the ocean’s depths. Additionally, the green chosen for the DEEPSEA text on its dial is matched to the color of Cameron’s Deepsea Challenger Submarine that took a prototype Rolex watch all the way down into the trench affixed to one of its robotic arms.The legacy of Jacques-Yves Cousteau is unparalleled in the world of underwater exploration, and many years ago (back in 2004 to be precise), IWC decided to become a partner of the Cousteau Society – a non-profit organization looking to continue the initiatives set out by Jacques-Yves several decades prior. From the onset of the partnership, IWC has included special limited-edition Aquatimer models in their collections, with a portion of the proceeds of each watch headed towards the organization.Of their bigger undertakings, Cousteau’s famed research vessel (named ‘Calypso’) was raised from the sea floor after sinking on account of an incident in Singapore in 1996. Progress on Calypso has been slow-going, and a fire on the ship while docked in Turkey two years ago has slowed things further. Naturally, there are rumors swirling that a redesign of the IWC Aquatimer line across the board will appear in conjunction with the vessel’s unveiling.
When we turn back the replica, we will admire its amazing back-case. Generous, this is the only word I want to express. We can review the beauty of machine accompany with the moving of balance wheel clearly in such big back-case. It is liked that we are admiring a wonderful artwork.Next, let’s see its band and clasp. A good band need to be comfortable and durable in quality. So the replica has do it so well in this detail, a folding clasp with classic 316 stainless steel and has IWC LOGO in it. It reveals the taste of gentlemen and active sport style fully.In the end, Let’s see an important element, this IWC Portuguese replica is equipped with a powerful movement, it is high clone CAL.51011, can keep over 120 hours power reserve. If normal watch, uses ETA movement, mainly can keep about two or three days. So this replica is really an excellent one with high copy technology.In my point of view, this replica is deserve to have one, it is not so luxurious and complicated, but is elegant and dedicated. You need to have such replica as your special artwork in hand.
In recent days, AR factory published a lot of Rolex Daytona replica watches that are made of genuine 904L stainless steel, these Daytona replica watches are best of the best in our market, however, these Daytonas have one fatal flaw, that is the non-working minute and hour chronograph. So, although ARF Daytona replica watches are made of the best material, they are still not perfect for watch fans who require full functional chronograph. Today, the Daytona replica watch that is going to be discussed in this article is an old model published last year, by J12 factory. Although the watch is made with 316L stainless steel and equipped with an Asian Valjoux 7750 movement, it works accurate, you know, high stability is very important for a chronograph watch. Nowadays, replica watches from big factories like Noob, J12, BP and ZF could be made 99% the same as genuines in outlook, only the movement is the biggest flaw, so to make the fake movement look closer to genuine caliber, these factories are spending a lot of time and effort in modifying the basic movement to make it look real, everyone knows too much modification on movement will affect its stability, so, in my opinion, these new Super Copy 3135 used on Submariner and clone 4130 on latest ARF Daytona are not as good as you think. However, this yellow gold Daytona uses the old Asian Valjoux 7750 movement, whose accuracy and stability have been tested for years by a lot of chronograph replica watches, so, this Daytona I am about to post is very rare and really good, you will never regret after purchase.
Looks-wise, the watch that comes the closest to an all-steel model is now the ref. 116509, which is cast in solid 18k white gold and has the price tag to prove it.That means a delve into the archives is the only avenue still open should you want one, and it is the previous generation that is proving the most affordable. The ‘Zenith’ Daytona ref. 16520, powered by the fabled El Primero, is still the gateway into steel Cosmograph Daytona ownership.Of course, the word ‘affordable’ is all relative. Prices start at around the $20,000 mark, which is a hefty slice of anyone’s money. Yet beyond being one of the most handsome and capable models ever made, any Rolex Daytona represents perhaps the surest investments watch collecting has to offer.It’s a tough call, but the starkly austere Explorer might well be the watch that has changed the least (visually) over its 70-year run. That is even for a manufacture that updates aesthetics at the glacial pace that Rolex does. Every reference, from the prototype Pre-Explorer ref. 6150 from 1952 up to the last of the ref. 114270s in 2010, have been simple three handers, with the beautifully legible white on black 3/6/9 dials, housed in a 36mm case.Then along came the ref. 214270, identical in the detailing but the first example to grow beyond the dimensions in 58-years, measuring 39mm. It increased in size for the same reason as the Datejust – fashions demanded it – but unlike that watch, it became the only option available.That is no bad thing. The Explorer is perhaps the last of the true tool watches in the Rolex catalog. There is nothing about any iteration of the watch that is designed to look flashy or draw attention to itself, and a few extra millimeters doesn’t change that. The new Explorer is basically the old Explorer, and whichever you choose will come down to whether your wrist size suits one or the other.Its strength has always been in its simplicity, and it remains one of the best value for money prospects on the pre-owned Rolex market. $5,000-$6,000 is the buy-in point for a well set up example of the ref. 114270 or, if you fancy going the real vintage route, the celebrated ref. 1016 (personal timepiece of James Bond author Ian Fleming) starts at a little over twice that. Tough, elegant and perfectly built, the Explorer has always stayed true to Rolex’s roots.
