Sticking with undersea operations, the Oris ProDiver collection is an interesting one, given that Oris is one of the few watch companies that remains actively engaged in dealings with commercial divers. More specifically, Roman Frischknecht is a commercial diver that has been an Oris ambassador for some time, and rather than simply being an ambassador in name, Roman has played a crucial role in the development of the ProDiver collection ahead of its launch in 2009.It was his insight that led to the creation of the brand’s bezel locking system, known as a Rotation Safety System. Given the level of safety and security protocols involved in his line of work, Roman knew that if he was to be using a conventional dive watch in a modern dive environment, there could be absolutely no room for error, thus a locking mechanism (as seen in other divers like the Omega Ploprof, among others) would be mandatory.Although the roots of the Yacht-Master II relate to activities on the water’s surface rather than deep below, its unique functionality is perfectly suited to this category. After all, the Rolex Yacht-Master II is what is often referred to as yachting timer – a countdown chronograph that can be used to properly measure the start time of a regatta, also known as a sailing race.Arguably the most complex watch in the present Rolex collection, the Yacht-Master II uses an interesting combination of bezel position, crown position, and pusher action in order to set its countdown duration between 1 and 10 minutes, with the chronograph capable of flyback (or fly-forward) functionality to the pre-set time with a single activation of its lower pusher. While many Yacht-Master II wearers are unlikely to ever use this highly specific function for its actual intended purpose. being able to run a countdown like this isn’t shy on practical daily-life applications… grilling timer, anyone?
Then there’s the much more subdued fixed stainless bezel of the Explorer II which matches the case and features a 24-hour marked scale. This feature was specifically built for explorers who need to distinguish day from night – think cave explorers or polar explorers in the height of summer when the sun never sets.For decades, the durable and waterproof Oyster case on the Explorer II measured 40mm, but upon its redesign for the 40th anniversary of the collection in 2011, it was enlarged to 42mm. However, while Rolex produces a precious metal version of the Submariner, the Explorer II is exclusively offered in 904L stainless steel, and there have never been any solid gold or two-tone models ever produced. The current Explorer II is only offered on a steel Oyster bracelet with a Oysterlock clasp, but to be honest, when it comes to the Explorer II, collectors are much more concerned with what really makes this watch: the face.The dial of the Explorer II is iconic for a few reasons. The most notable being the colored 24-hour hand which circles the face. First there’s the iconic orange 24-hour hand, originally designed to help polar and cave explorers distinguish night from day, that gained its cult-status from the original “Steve McQueen” reference. Rolex eventually brought back the bright orange hand with much fanfare. Then there’s the red 24-hour hand which graced the dial for decades – it’s distinctly different than the orange hand with a skinnier body and smaller luminous triangle at the tip. The dials with a red 24-hour hand are far less punchy than their orange counterparts, but still make the Explorer II standout from the rest of the Rolex lineup.Then there are the dial colors – available in effortlessly-cool black and the coveted ‘polar’ white. The polar dial is totally cool and clean, the white face outfitted with white lume plots and Mercedes hands outlined in black. The black face on the other hand has a totally different appeal. While it boasts the same features, the darker face really highlights the stainless steel bezel, lume hour plots and lume-filled Mercedes hands (this time in white gold rather than finished black). It’s a punchier look, and the colored 24-hour hand – especially the orange one – shines against the black a little brighter.
The chemical composition of synthetic green sapphire includes copper and aluminum oxide, with the copper being the element that is ultimately responsible for its signature green hue. The process of synthetic sapphire production is an expensive and exacting one; however, the additional obstacles that accompany the addition of copper – and the precision required to achieve the right amount of green tint without compromising the strength or clarity of the crystal are likely responsible for its exclusive use on the Rolex Milgauss line of watches.When synthetic sapphire is manufactured, the material has to “grow” over the course of a period of several weeks. Particles attract to one another, forming layers that fuse together to create a dense and ultra-hard substance. The end result of production is a “boule” – a solid piece of synthetic sapphire shaped like a chunky cylinder, which is then cut and shaped to its necessary dimensions.Due to the high costs of production, most watch crystal manufacturers cut their synthetic sapphire boules in a perpendicular fashion, as to maximize the number of crystals that can be created from a single boule. Although this is entirely unconfirmed, it is rumored that Rolex cuts the boule along a diagonal axis to maximize the clarity and strength of the finished crystal. In addition to complicating the cutting and shaping process itself, cutting the boule along a diagonal axis significantly increases the amount of waste, which further adds cost to an already expensive manufacturing process.Despite not making an appearance until just over ten years ago, the green sapphire crystal has quickly become one of the defining characteristics of the Milgauss line. Its pale green tint possesses no functional advantages over a traditional, clear/uncolored synthetic sapphire crystal; however, the green crystal that is exclusively fitted to the Rolex Milgauss 116400GV is one of the primary reasons that individuals seek out this particular reference. The green crystal is something entirely unique to the Milgauss collection and is not something that is found on any other Rolex watch, past or present.
While their sister-company, Tudor has garnered a strong following with their vintage-inspired heritage watches, Rolex is notorious for only moving forward with their designs, and never re-creating (or re-releasing) vintage Rolex inspired watches from the past. However, despite not manufacturing any outright heritage watches, Rolex does implement a few subtle, vintage-inspired design traits into the otherwise very modern watches that they manufacture today.Most obvious among the various vintage design elements is the red line of text on the dial of the new Rolex Sea-Dweller reference 126600. An obvious throwback to Rolex’s early Submariner and Sea-Dweller watches which had their respective names printed in red letters on the surfaces of their matte black dials, the red line of text on the dial of the new Sea-Dweller 126600 is an unmistakably vintage-inspired design element, which Rolex has recycled and reintroduced on an otherwise very modern and technologically-advanced, luxury dive watch.
Pilot is one of the most successful series IWC has ever published, it has so many classic models that a lot of people are in pursuit of them. In 2019, IWC is the winner because they unveiled several watches that deeply attracted the eyes of our watch fans, including Pilot Bronzo, Pilot Chrono Spitfire Chrono and this Spitfire IW387903. as one of the few brands that make Pilot’s watches, IWC may be is the most successful, I like the design of IWC, it is more suitable for Asian than other Swiss brands.In May 2019, I introduced one IWC Pilot replica watch that is made with bronze material, today, I want to show you another great Pilot Spitfire watch from another factory, which is Z factory. We know V6 is a big factory and they make a lot of good quality replica IWC watches, but Z factory is the dominance in replica IWC field.This replica IWC Spitfire watch from Z factory has a big advantage, that is the sapphire crystal has double AR coating, which looks a bit bluish. So, when you read the time from the dial at any angle, it will be very clear, just like the crystal does not exist.Besides the crystal, there are other two improvements Z factory has made on this replica watch. First, the circles on subdials are made more delicate, their thickness and spacing between each circle are more accurate, closer to genuine watch.
Open the case back, you can find a high quality automatic movement inside, it is an Asian ETA 2836-2, the auto rotor has uniform brushing lines, its plates on the base have beautiful fish scale patterns. There are 2836-2 numerals engraved on the movement plate. If your watch is slower or faster, adjust the regulator to + or -. You can also see the balance wheel featuring a rosy shock absorber. The replica Rolex GMT Master II watch is only 3 seconds slower each day, other specifications like beat rate, lift angle are normal.Another review about a high end replica Rolex watch, it is one of my favorite replicas. To let more people understand this replica watch, I will give a detailed introduction of AR coated cyclops and some special research on this watch, at the same time, I will objectively describe the disadvantages of this replica so give you guys an objective evaluation.The watch I will introduce is the best Rolex Yacht-Master replica in the market, it is equipped with a 25-jeweled automatic movement. The picture below displays all components of this watch, it will be reviewed from case, case back, crystal, hands, bracelet and other places, as the most representative replica, this Yacht-Master has the best quality.We can notice that the replica case is refinied, the outer bezel uses sand blasting and polishing craft, the bezel of genuine Rolex Yacht-Master is made of platinum and stainless steel, the sand blasted part is stainless steel while the raised markings use platinum. To make the replica look closer to gen, its outer bezel uses the same craft on sand blasted part, on the polished raised markers, the replica is plated with Zinc, it is the only one replica Rolex Yacht-Master using this technology.The dial is the most difficult place to replicate, this blue color used on genuine dial is concocted by Rolex themselves. While being adjusted for six times, the replica dial has been done exactly the same as genuine on depth, glossiness and saturation.Certainly, the logo engraving is perfect. The lettering on case back is engraved by laser machine. This is a great attempt in replica watch field, because it can greatly reduce scratch rate and speed up productivity.Every factory has been searching for one perfect solution for the AR Coating on Rolex cyclops in the past two years, the AR Coating has always been the biggest difficulity in replicating a Rolex. The bluish tint on Rolex cyclops ar coating is actually a combination of colors, the main color is yellow, supplementary colors are blue and red, so now you have a completly brand new understanding of this?The solution of a real invisible Rolex crown was done perfectly in mid-2014, the crown design can not be said to be hidden, it is just half invosible because of being printed, you can still see it just slightly adjust the angle. While a real invisible crown logo can only be seen under special lighting conditions, the most direct way is to use a flashlight below the 6 postion, in other cases, it is very difficult to see.Refer to the making experience of mature Submariner hands, the replica features a pure red second hand, the hands are also filled with SuperLume material like the genuine Rolex watch.The bracelet uses 316L stainless steel, so it looks more glossy than the genuine.
