A Sector is no mere sport watch. A Sector is an aggressive sport watch that offers top performance, stylish design and knows No Limits. Heavily influenced by design, function, durability and wear-ability suggestions from Sector’s No Limits team of super-athletes (who also test them in the field), Sector watches are a product of continuous innovation, research and development.

Each model is a high performance timepiece of guaranteed quality and reliability, even in the most extreme conditions. All Sector watches are modern and sharp in design and feature Swiss Quartz or Automatic movement. All are also water resistant to a minimum 300 feet, built with strong and durable materials (steel and titanium) and are available in men and women’s design.

The Sector Expander collection features a broad selection of models including: the trendy, no-nonsense 130 series designed to appeal to the younger generation; the Expander 135 series which are distinctively smooth in style and innovative in design; the highly individual and energetic Expander 750 series; and the Expander 950, a study in sharp design, strength and durability - a perfect combination of Swiss technological innovation and style for unlimited performance.

TAG Heuer Caliber 16 automatic chronograph movement.

Black, silver, blue or brown dial with 3 counters (hours at 6 o’clock, small seconds at 9 o’clock, minutes at 12 o’clock). Date at 3 o’clock. Circled counters at 12 o’clock and 6 o’clock

Luminescent diamond-set hands to facilitate legibility. Hand-applied indexes. Monochrome TAG Heuer logo (appliquéd logo on the gold-steel version). CARRERA inscription.

Steel bracelet with 5 rows of alternating finishes (central link in 18K gold on the gold-steel version). Also available with black perforated or brown rubber or calfskin strap.Case: 41 mm in polished steel.

Case back with a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal glass.

Fixed bezel with tachymetre (bezel with 18K solid gold circle on the gold-steel version)

Water-resistant to 50 meters.

Scratch-resistant sapphire crystal.

Fluted crown for easier handling. Identical to the original model.

Solid folding clasp with safety pushbuttons.

Specifications may depend on the model.

Aquaracer

Calibre S Regatta

CAF7110.BA0803

TAG Heuer has put all its avant-garde mechanical watchmaking expertise into quartz precision. The Calibre S, with its exclusive movement – patented and developed by TAG Heuer – makes a clean break with the traditional codes of the chronograph, which has used three hard-to-read counters since 1822.

The Calibre S allows for time to be read intuitively in a radically innovative, avant-garde fashion: the hour and chronograph functions are displayed by the central hands (hour, minute, second). With no fewer than 230 mechanical components and five bi-directional micro-engines, the Calibre S boasts unique functions:

* Intuitive chronograph legibility with tenth-of-a-second precision.
* Measurement of simple and intermediary time and two elapsed times.
* Retrograde date with a perpetual calendar to 2099.
* Countdown scale for regattas, configurable as desired from -10 to -1 minute.
* Anti-clockwise movement of central hands in “REGATTA” mode, then clockwise once the countdown is over, as the Chronograph is triggered automatically.

Movement: TAG Heuer Calibre S, ELECTRO-MECHANICAL.

What does “electro-mechanical” mean?

A true hybrid, the electro-mechanical timepiece is an ingenious mix of mechanical watchmaking expertise and extraordinary quartz precision. With no fewer than 230 mechanical components and five bi-directional micro-engines, the Calibre S is a mechanical movement with quartz precision.

Function: The Calibre S has three modes: “HOUR”, “CHRONO” and “REGATTA”. A simple push on the crown is all it takes to go from one mode to the next. The three modes are displayed by the central hands (hour, minute, second), making legibility simple and intuitive. With its bi-directional micro-engines, the Calibre S allows the central hands to move anti-clockwise in the “REGATTA” mode. Once the countdown is over, the chronograph is automatically triggered and the central hands start moving clockwise. The dial of the Aquaracer Chrono Calibre S Regatta is adorned with two half-moon counters at 4:30 and 7:30:

• In HOUR mode:
  Equipped with a perpetual calendar to 2099, these counters indicate the date.
• In CHRONO mode:
  The left counter indicates “CHRONO” mode and the right counter tenth-of-a-second precision. “CHRONO” mode allows for the measurement of simple and intermediary time, and two elapsed times.
• In REGATTA mode:
  The left counter indicates “REGATTA” mode. When the countdown is over, the chronograph starts automatically. The left counter then indicates “CHRONO” mode and the right counter tenth-of-a-second precision.Dial: Sophisticated and sporty. Luminescent markers for improved legibility in darkness. Monochrome TAG Heuer logo. “AQUARACER – Calibre S – 300 meters” inscription.

  Hands: Set with diamonds with polished facets and coated with a luminescent material for improved legibility in darkness.

  Case: Stamped in a block of solid steel with a diameter of 41 mm.

  Crystal: Scratch-resistant sapphire crystal.

  Bezel: Fixed aluminium bezel with countdown scale (from -10 to -1 minute) for regattas.

  Case back: Screw-down case back assuring water-resistance up to 300 meters. Diving bell decoration stamped on case back.

  Bracelet: Triple-row bracelet in satin-finish, polished steel. Double security clasp with folding blade and extension system allowing for the piece to be worn over a diving suit.

  Specifications may depend on the model.

• Stainless Steel Case and Bracelet
• Champagne Dial
• Hour, minute and second hands
• Automatic power generator
• 4-year energy storage
• Automatic energy saving function
• Manual energy saving function
• Time Relay function
• Energy depletion forewarning function
• Crystal - Sapphire
• LumiBrite Hands & Markers
• Water Resistancy - 100M
• Case measures 41mm diameter by 10mm thick
• 3 years original manufacturer warranty

Pros: The only difference between mine and the one pictured is the dial color which hardly affects function. As with all Seiko watches, the quality, fit and finish are superb. The inovations that they have introduced into the market place are a force to be contended with. This watch like all the others I have owned will last as long as I can still see through the crystal and the band stays on.

Cons: The only bad thing about all Seiko’s is getting them serviced. It is nearly impossible to find anyone that will do anything but a battery change, and in kinetic watch, that leaves pretty much nothing. I find that the crystal is the first thing to go cosmetically and then the band, it would be nice to send it in and get a new crystal and band and enjoy it for another 5 years.

I was looking for a new watch when the G-Shock caught my eye. These watches were previously highly sought after with insane prices of £100+ being acceptable!

Look & Feel
The G-Shock watch is pretty stylish. The case is made from a tough plastic, finished in a dark blue colour. The G-Shock logo is displayed on the top of the watch in yellow lettering. The LCD display is quite large and is very clear and easy to read, it is encircled by a silver ring which displays some of the buttons alternate functions and says shock resist on the bottom. There are four other buttons on the sides of the watch to adjust the settings, these are grey, are easy to press and responsive (unlike my old watch on which the buttons were so tiny they were almost impossible to press!). Below the display is the final button, this is black and has the G-Shock logo on it, when pressed it activates the backlight which is a cool blue. The strap on the watch is also plastic, but it feels much higher quality than some plastics as it is soft to the touch yet very durable. It’s a chunky watch; the only fault I can find with it is it would look ridiculous on a person with a small wrist.

Features
The G-Shock watch is pretty feature packed, its main feature of course is it’s shock resistant. I haven’t really tested this but in everyday use it survives knocks and jolts with ease. Another nice thing is it’s water resistant to 200metres; unfortunately I haven’t been able to go scuba diving to test this so I can only say that it survives the shower, bath no problem. It also claims to have a battery life of 10 years, glancing at the manual it says only if you activate the alarm once a day, once a day for the light, no signal etc. So if you’re robotic and obey the instructions I have no doubt it will last you 10 years!

The watch also has a ton of other features such as an EDM (electronic data memory) which you can use to store phone numbers, this function I don’t really use as inputting names and numbers with the watch buttons is rather tiresome. The next feature is the World time, I love this feature and it’s great for when you’re on holiday or just want to check the time somewhere else, to use this you simply press the back and forward keys on the watch and it will scroll through the time zones giving you the name of the place where it’s that time. The next feature is the Signal and Alarm, you can customize an hourly signal which will give you two beeps at the time you select, by default this is set to be on the hour but say for example you have lessons that always start at 15 minutes past you can have it signal you then. The alarm feature is pretty insane offering you 4 daily alarms, I only use one of these to get me up in the morning, but if you’re the kind of person who has alot of naps or something you’ll love the multiple alarms. Next up you have a timer, you simply set the time, press start and it will count down giving you an alarm when the time is up, great for timing meals and such. A robust stopwatch feature is included giving you time down to a hundredth of a second, it also has a handy split function. The light feature is pretty good, a simple press of the G button will illuminate the display for around 3 seconds so you can tell the time in the dark, if you hold the G button down you will come across a really neat auto light feature, when activated it will illuminate the display every time you tilt the display to your face, how cool is that!

Price & Conclusion
Now a few years ago a G-Shock watch would cost you quite a bit of change, think £100 for a decent one. I managed to snag mine for the absolute bargain price of £30 (down from £69.99) from The Watch Hospital. If you are in the market for a tough, reasonable looking, feature packed watch that will last a good while, look no further a G shock is for you!

Summary: A fantastic watch that will last you a lifetime!

http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/watch/casio-g-shock-watches/1075698/

Everyone knows Timex. They make watches that takes a licking and keep on ticking, or so the commercial from back in my youth liked to proclaim. The company also has the honor of being the only American watch maker to survive the digital revolution of the 70s. They adapted quickly to the new technology and with aggressive marketing and pricing were able to keep afloat in a sea of inexpensive Asian watches.

I’ve owned at least one Timex watch that I can recall. A digital Ironman that I bought a few years back. It was a decent watch and I’m sure I would wear it occasionally today if I knew what happened to it. It seems to have disappeared, most likely hiding out in a box somewhere waiting to be discovered. But that’s ok, it deserves its rest; for the longest time it was my only watch, and it served me flawlessly.

I haven’t thought much about Timex lately. Well, that’s not true. I have thought about them, but in a dismissive sort of way. I regarded them as an ultimate poor man’s watch, not meant to be admired, but rather to be worn for the purpose of telling time and very little else. This won’t be the fist time that I’ve admitted I was wrong.

One of the things that I really like in a watch is its ability to be seen in a movie theater. I like movies and I think it’s only natural that I would, on occasion, want to be able to see the time. All my other watches, despite whatever fancy luminous material they use, are drop dead pitiful in this regard. Many of them do glow very strongly, but do so only in complete darkness where my eyes have had a chance to adjust. They glow through the night, and that’s just fine. But in the movie theater, it’s a different story. A movie theater isn’t night; far from it. While there, I spend most of my time looking at a bright screen and occasionally I struggle to see the time. My eyes are adjusted to the very bright screen and the ambient light in the theater is such that the glow of whatever watch I’m seeing is near if not entirely invisible. There’s a lot of turning my wrist, trying to catch a good reflective angle in order to make out the hands. What this exercise really amounts to is me missing the movie.

While walking in Wal-Mart the other day, I came across a display of those $10 specials. I think that some of the mid-brand watch makers out there can take some lessons from these guys. While the watches were obviously made of inferior materials, the construction itself was outstanding. The machining was excellent, markers lined up, and hands ticked where they should. It’s hard not to be impressed. One of the $10 specials was an quartz analog watch that had a nice white face and dark hands and numerals. It’s the kind of classic look that I really like. I picked it up and fiddled with it a bit. That’s when I discovered that when you push the crown in, the whole face lights up. My old Ironman Timex did the same, of course, but I’ve never seen it on an analog watch. I thought about buying the watch. At $10, it’s hard to go wrong, but I didn’t go through with it. I couldn’t bring myself to buy a low-cost unbranded watch that was sitting in the middle of very light-weight and brassy-looking watches.

What I did do is ask around on one of my favorite watch forums if anyone knew of any quality watches that featured electroluminescent displays, the technology used to make the faces of watches glow. A few familiar names were thrown out. Timex, of course, and Casio. Also thrown out were Citizen and Seiko.

I don’t know what is about Casio, but I’ve never run across one that I actually like. They are either too big and bulky, or they are full of printing such as Sports 200 and Multi-Time Zone, all in big bright letters. Not much to my taste.

Citizen and Seiko know watches. I have a couple of each and they run well and look nice. Unfortunately, as the features start to pile on, so do the looks. Not in the over-labeled Casio way, but in the shiny and sparkly way, using markers and hands that have weird futuristic curves. Call me an old fuddy-duddy, but I like traditional. Besides, I never did find a Citizen or a Seiko that was a plain-old three handed watch that just happened to glow when you pushed in the crown.

That left Timex. My first response, as I said before, was dismissive. But then I started to look at their web page. There were actually some very nice plain watches, reminiscent of the cheap one that I was looking at earlier. And as far as electroluminescence went, it was a no-brainer; these were the guys who pioneered the technology and called it Indiglo.

I found a watch that I really liked, the 20501. At Timex’s website, it costs $30, but I was able to pick it up at the same Wal-Mart where I saw the $10 special for only $20. Seemed like a steal to me.

I will say that the 20501 isn’t high-quality, but it isn’t low quality either. It is obvious where corners are cut, but to Timex’s credit, they tell you this in an up front sort of way. For example, on the back of the case it says that the case back is made of stainless steel, but it also tells you that the rest of the watch is made of base metal, although it doesn’t go into detail about which metal that might be. It makes sense that the back needs to be stainless steel; wrists do sweat, after all. The band is similarly honest. It states “genuine leather upper,” which means that only the part of the band that people get to see is really leather. I don’t know what the back is made of.

The band, aside from being half leather and half not, is very pliable in what I would almost call a luxurious way. Touching it reminds me of my lambskin leather jacket, which I will confess that I sometimes touch just because it feels so nice. The buckle on the end is plain, but not unattractive.

The face of the watch has a classic look to it. White with large and easy to read dark black numerals along the perimeter. The numerals are in a serif style font, which I also like; it has a dress-watch elegance to it. The hour and minute hands are thick and black and end flat, rather than with a point of some sort. I’m not sure if I like the abrupt ending to them all that much.

The second hand is chrome, and I think that shows some excellent design-work on the part of Timex. One of the things that I have complained about other brands, such as Invicta, is that on many of their white face models they will use chrome hands. My complaint is that chrome hands completely disappear into the watch, making reading the time difficult. On the Timex, this is to an advantage because most of the time you don’t care about the seconds, so having it effectively disappear is a good feature. Of course, it’s there if you need it, you just need to stare at the watch for a fraction of a second longer in order for your brain to pick it from the background.

Speaking of the hands, Timex actually got something right that many other watch makers either get wrong, or don’t care enough to try to get right. The hands line up. When it is 12 o’clock, both hands are perfectly straight up. And that second hand, while I’ll be darned, but it ticks exactly on the second markers. I’ve seen quartz Omegas that don’t even do that.

The back of the watch says the movement was made in the Philippines. That’s fine–as long as it keeps time and works right, I don’t really care where it was made. So far it seems to be doing both of those perfectly. It does have a tendency to be loud, however. I’m not sure I can describe how loud it is, but if your hand is within a foot of your ear and the TV is in the background, you’ll still hear the watch. Moving your hand away from your ear, of course, fixes this. Because the tick is so loud, I will tell you that it’s a quality tick that reminds me of being in an old house with a grandfather clock. That is most likely the only tick-sound review you will ever get from me.

I probably don’t need to say that the crown isn’t screw down and it’s certainly not signed. It’s small and it works, just like everything else on this watch. The dial tells me that this watch has a 30M depth-rating, which means you can get it wet without any problems. I’d be sure to dry that band off though.

Pressing the crown in causes the whole face to glow. This is why I bought the watch. The glow is even over the entire surface, except at the very bottom, which I suspect is where the electrical connection is made. The glow is very bright. Bright enough to read by if you had to, although you wouldn’t want to.

I don’t know what the crystal is, much to my chagrin. I will rule out sapphire immediately. I believe it is probably glass, but it could also be plastic. The tap-it-with-a-metal-thing reveals a sound that my ears can’t discriminate. I’ll post an update here when and if it gets scratched.

My only real concern with the watch is its potential for longevity. I haven’t opened it up to see what makes it tick, but my understanding is that if I were to do so, I’d find a lot of plastic moving parts in there. I’m not sure if this worries me or not. Plastic is, after all, pretty durable and we’re not exactly dealing with a lot of torque. The wear factor is probably minimal. I’ll also post an update when and if the thing ever stops working.

I really like this watch. I spend a lot of time talking about and trying to justify the value one gets when spending hundreds of dollars on a certain brand. With this Timex it’s not even debatable. For $20 you get a watch that works well and is attractive to boot.

Swiss watchmaker Rado has been obsessing over highly scratch resistant watches for over 40 years, and now it looks like they have truly outdone themselves with the Rado V10K. The name “V10K” comes from 10,000 Vickers. Vickers are a measurement of hardness and resistance, and 10,000 is the top of the scale — achieved only by diamonds, and now, by the Rado V10K.

Some of the materials that go into the Rado V10K are fairly standard: titanium caseback and clasp (extremely strong and lightweight), sapphire crystal, and a rubber strap (available in black, orange, red, and blue). The rest of the watch, however, is decidedly non-standard. Using a furnace capable of recreating the atmospheric pressure of Jupiter, Rado actually coats the case of the V10K with synthetic diamonds. If diamonds are the hardest substance in the world, the only way to build a truly scratch-proof watch is to actually use diamonds to coat it.

It’s nice to see that Rado did not sacrifice aesthetics to achieve this amazing feat. While the V10K is certainly an unconventional watch, it is also simple, stark, and stunning. It’s so simple and stark, in fact, that it doesn’t even have a crown to interrupt the flow of its form. Rather, the watch is adjusted by placing a magnetic device which is integrated into the strap against the caseback — at once, both high-tech and retro (remember the Pulsar LEDs of the 70’s?).

The Rado V10K contains a Swiss quartz movement. It’s is water resistant, and comes with a 2-year guarantee. Pricing is available upon request.

There is an option for a black or white face, and I went with the black. The dial is a little over 35mm, with the crowns and buttons not quite 40mm, 43mm lug to lug and 10mm thick. The dial markings are clearly inspired by 1940s military styles, with the triangle for 12, and the arabic numerals. The chronograph functions are conventional for an analog watch. The alarm is set with the screw-down stem at the first click out, and turned on by pulling the stem on the left side of the face out. The alarm is not as loud as some watches, but I would say louder than most, and adequate for me. I’ve had this watch for years, sent it back for a battery change once (with fast and reasonably priced service from St. Moritz), and expect to get many more years out of it.

Aesthetically, it is a little harsh and austere for dress social occasions, but that simplicity fits my needs, and carries an understated presence that works in my professional environments. On the other hand, it blends well with jeans and a polo shirt. As much as I enjoy other watches, this one is the single best, all-round watch for me.

Source: http://www.wristwatchreview.com/2008/05/21/st-moritz-titan-ii-the-all-rounder/

Without a doubt, the Rolex Sea-Dweller is one of my favorite watches of all time. It represents everything I look for in a watch of this sort: simplicity, quality, functionality, and stark beauty.

The Sea-Dweller is one of the less common Rolex sport models. While the Submariner is produced in several combinations of materials and colors, there is only one Sea-Dweller. It is only available in all stainless steel, and only with a black dial and black bezel. Rolex designed the Sea-Dweller purely as a dive tool — not a fashion accessory.

Features of the Rolex Sea-Dweller:

• Guaranteed waterproof to 1,200 meters, or 4,000 feet (that’s significantly higher than the 1,000 foot rating of the Submariner).
• 40mm stainless steel case which sits 14.5mm high.
• Ultra-thick synthetic sapphire crystal.
• Unidirectional rotating bezel with a corrosion resistant anodized aluminum insert.
• No date magnifier. I don’t mind the “cyclops” on my Explorer II, but I prefer the cleaner look of the Sea-Dweller.
• Helium escape valve. Developed in cooperation with the French industrial diving company, Comex, the helium escape valve allows helium molecules to safely escape without popping the crystal off the watch during decompression (I told you this is a hardcore dive tool).
• Dive extension. The dive extension on the Sea-Dweller is actually nothing to write home about, but it’s sufficient. This is one of the biggest improvements of the new Sea-Dweller DEEPSEA.
• Triplock screwdown crown. The Triplock system uses an additional rubber gasket (clearly visible when the crown is unscrewed) beyond the Twinlock system used on many other Rolex sport models like the old GMT Master II and the Explorer II. The crown threads beautifully, and feels incredibly robust and secure.
• Quick-change and quick-set date. Quick-change means that the date changes over to the next day instantly almost exactly at midnight (as opposed to changing gradually over the course of several minutes before and after midnight). Quick-set means that you can set the date while the crown is pulled out to the second position rather than having to change the time in order to change the date.

Some other interesting facts about the Rolex Sea-Dweller, and Rolex in general:

• The Sea-Dweller is the only Rolex with a date, but without the date magnifier. This accounts for a lot of its popularity as many people love Rolex watches, but aren’t crazy about the “bubble”.
• The Sea-Dweller is the only Rolex with writing on the caseback. It says “ROLEX OYSTER” and “ORIGINAL ESCAPE VALVE”. The new Sea-Dweller DEEPSEA seems to take all this writing, and put it on the front of the watch, creating a much busier face.
• The additional thickness of the Sea-Dweller’s case beyond that of the Submariner is to accommodate the helium escape valve.
• The bulbous shape of the hour hand which Rolex uses on many of their sport models allows it to be seen while directly under the minute hand. This may seem like an unnecessary detail, but it’s actually a great, widely copied, and under appreciated design. It also makes the hour hand more easily distinguishable in low light.
• This extraordinarily beautiful watch is being discontinued. It is being replaced by the admittedly interesting, but very different Sea-Dweller DEEPSEA. I can promise you that there will always be a market for the “old” Sea-Dwellers, however. They were classics even before being discontinued.
• Most, if not all, modern Rolexes have the Rolex coronet etched on the inside of the crystal at the 6 o’clock position. If you’re buying from anyone other than an authorized retailer, make sure you can see the etching before you buy it.
• Rolex is one of the few remaining Swiss watchmakers who still makes their own movements. Most brands purchase either movements, or movement kits, from companies like ETA. Rolex, however, designs and builds everything but a few oils themselves.
• Rolex is a privately held company which donates a great deal of it’s profits to charity. I think of Rolex as the Robin Hood of the watch world: take from those who can afford it, and give to those who cannot.

Rolex Sea-Dweller’s Photos