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.
The case is made of 316L stainless steel and then has 18K rose gold coating plated, the gold coating is thick, which is almost 5 mils. You must concern whether the rose gold coating will fade or not, I must say yes, even gold coating on genuine watches will fade, but on the replica, it will keep its gold tone after two years of wearing, that’s enough for us. The case has a very big diameter, which is 46mm, even though the case is brushed very well, but check its case edge, it does not feel as smooth as replicas made by ZF. The back is see-through crystal, which uses sapphire like the crystal on the front.The dial is in blue color, looks very charming. Amazong all IWC Le Petit Prince models, the one with blue dial is the most popular. Like the case, hour markers and hands all feature rose gold edge. Both subdials have refined circles, the small second hand is runniong on subdial at 9 o’clock. The subdial at 3 is an indicator that is displaying the remaining power reserve. It is marked with 7 DAYS, but the replica has 3-day power reserve. At 12 o’clock, there is a fan-shaped indicator that features three small windows, which displays month, date and week separately. The Annual Calendar function just works the same way as genuine watch. To get a better readability, the replica not only has big hour markers, it also has genuine Swiss lume material applied on markers and hands.
In the world of luxury product acquisition, there are few things more distressing to the mind of a passionate collector than the thought of harm coming to their valued possessions. Yes, nothing in this realm can hold a candle to health or the well-being of one’s loved ones, but these small treasures, often rare or unique (and certainly expensive) hold a special place in the heart of one who has dedicated their time and effort to make them theirs.I am often asked if it is important to insure a collection of used luxury watches. In fact, I am asked it more often then makes conscionable sense to me, because the answer is simple: Yes, yes you should. And more to the point, if you own a luxury watch like a Rolex Submariner (let alone if you own numerous luxury watches) and you’re asking that question, you should save your breath for the insurance provider on the other end of the phone.And that’s really the best place to start. In this digital age, it seems we’ve all become a bit interaction-shy, but with a complex and potentially serious situation like making an insurance claim, it is always best to have set-up your policy having talked directly to another human being – an expert in their field. You really should leave nothing to chance. Don’t be afraid to ask stupid questions – insurance is complicated and rules and regulations vary from country to country (massively) and occasionally, even from region to region. If you move to a new area, don’t just assume that your previous policy will port seamlessly. Check it out. Trust me: It’s worth it.Having lived most of my life in the UK and Germany, I have intimate personal experience with moving a watch collection across borders. And the differences are stark. Some things are easier in some territories, and some things are harder, but the three things you should focus on first when looking into insuring your collection (or single watch) is the total value of your collection, how many “declarable” models you will need to put on your policy, and how all of this can affect your remaining contents insurance.So let’s start with the first point. This is relatively simple. Add up the retail value of the watches in your collection. When doing this, make sure you collate invoices and receipts (if possible) into a physical and digital folder. Scan everything, stick it in a PDF and email a copy to yourself rather than keeping it on your hard-drive alone (it stands to reason that if your property gets turned over your laptop may go the same way as your watches).
Now what you see is an IWC replica watch with classic black style. It with gold size 41mm. When we see it more carefully, we will find that its design elements are so special. Such as its ring. It uses two half circle to covered the ring, which is liked the shape of sailing ship, so that it has a good connection with the topic of sailing. In addition, its ring splicing blue and white color skillfully. It is really control so well to distribute colors in dial. This unique design can make us enjoy the experience of watch wearing, which is liked experiencing an exciting sailing match happily, and it is easy to read at the same time. It can show the side of mature for men to use gray and black color in dial. The red second hand is the one of attraction, it helps us to have a good view when combined with various colors. Red is so bright that can be nice decoration in black dial. It can get rid of the trouble that we become tired with same color in the whole dial. From the surface which is decorated by sapphire crystal, we can see its beauty clearly. Its case is made of 316 stainless steel, which is one kind of classic material. Undoubtedly, It may be good guarantee in hardness.
In my opinion, the competition between them mainly comes from two products, Daytona and Sea-Dweller Single Red 126600, which are the most popular two Rolex replicas in 2019.About Daytona, it is undeniable that Noob makes the best replica, however, about this 43mm Sea-Dweller Single Red 126600, I think both have their own advantages. Noob and AR make it with 904L stainless steel, about movement, Noob has Asia 2836 and 3235 options, while AR factory only has Asia 2824 movement option. AR factory unveiled the replica 126600 earlier than Noob, now the version of 126600 from AR is V3.Both factories make the same case size, which is 43mm in diameter and 14mm thick. However, about the case finish, I think AR factory is better. All clients of mine who bought this 126600 said that the AR 126600 gave them a real feeling when they firstly touched the case and bracelet. Every corner of the case is polished by skilled master, the case of ARF 126600 is completed to be perfect.The bezel uses ceramic insert on both factories. About bezel tooth, AR is a bit sharp, while Noob’s is a bit smooth and has a better touch. The sharp of each tooth on Noob 126600 has a rounded chamfer polishing, so these teeth feel smooth. About the bezel pearl, it looks a little greenish, while Noob’s looks more white, the bezel pearl of AR 126600 is closer to genuine. The inlaid method of the bezel pearl is also different, Noob sticks it with glue, while AR inlays the pearl into, if you check the Noob 126600 carefully, there is glue mark around the bezel pearl, while AR’s is very clean. Because the installation of bezel pearl is different on both factories, Noob’s is a bit higher than its edge around, while AR’s is correct, the same as genuine, it will also not easily fall off. About bezel engravings, AR 126600’s are deeper than Noob’s, because Noob’s bezel engravings are shallow, the platinum coating is exposed to dust and sweat on your hands, so the white coating will easily become black. While the bezel engravings on AR 126600 are much deeper, they can avoid the contact with hand sweat, so after a long time wearing, they still look very clearn. So, about the bezel finish of 126600, I think AR wins.I can hardly find difference. Both Noob and AR have made a good dial. About the letters below red “SEA-DWELLER”, AR’s are slightly plump, while Noob’s are a bit thinner. The lume coating on the dial is a little yellowish on Noob, while AR’s is very clearn.On the side of the helium valve button, Noob has a qr code sticker, while AR factory does not have. Noob makes it correct.
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.
