Review of the Luminox F

You can also see how the thin bezel and reduced depth of the face emphasize the dial; this watch is very much about the design not interfering with functionality.The strap is, as mentioned, is vegetable-tanned leather with a natural cork backing and butterfly deployant clasp. Contrast stitching adds a bit of visual flair, and the result is very comfortable. I did wonder a bit why he specified a screw-down crown, as the leather strap would contradict any use in the water; perhaps just to add durability and versatility.On the wrist, the light weight and strap make for a comfortable fit. The watch seems larger than its 40mm size, due to the cylindrical shape and thin bezel.I prefer a bit of taper if I'm going to wear long sleeves, but at a svelte 11mm high, that's not really much of an issue. I consider the design to be versatile enough to go from business dress to weekend jeans, and for me that's high praise. Yes, I am going to have a hard time returning this one!The movement, as expected, keeps superb time, within 2 seconds per day, with very smooth winding and setting. Even setting the date was enjoyable with crisp, distinct changes. A very nice movement family, the 2892, 2893 and 2895 are among the few 'tracteur' movements of Swiss watch***, able to hold their own with even the storied Rolex 3135. The Tyndall is also available in a black-dial, white-hand version. For me, I like the unusual eggshell color of this version, as it makes a nice change from my usual dark-dial-diver routine. Also check out their other model, the slightly less expensive Stinson, using the ETA 2824 ($995).

Review of the Prometheus Recon 5

Two things really impress me about this watch: the details and the price. As I mentioned before, the materials and movement are expensive, so I was looking to see if they had to cut corners elsewhere. Not only did they not cut corners, but they went much further than I expected. For example, their website is hosted on a eco-friendly web hosting service, the leather bands are vegetable-tanned, the cork lining the band is renewable from Italy, and they work with CarbonFund.org to offset their operations. Even the presentation box is carved rubberwood, saved from slash and burn. The watch, too, shows that same obsession with detail.Pictured here are the uniquely-shaped caseback window, hidden lugs, and hexagonal crown.Jeff kindly agreed to loan us a Tyndall for review, so let's dive into something quite rare: a brand-new, American-designed mechanical watch.The movement is the high-end ETA 2895, Elabore grade. Note that ETA has five movement grades (base, standard, elabore, top, and chronometer, where chrometer is top plus COSC testing) so this is a expensive and nicely decorated movement. It's phenomenal to see a 289x on a watch under $2,000.Assembled in Switzerland.316L stainless steel case with hidden lugs, screw-down crown, and exhibition caseback.Sapphire crystal, anti-reflective coated.Nicely sized at 40mm by 11mm.Water resistant to 100m (330ft). You can also see that the case isn't just a plain cylinder; there are two polished rings contrasting from the brushed sides. It's a subtle but quite beautiful shape to enjoy, and the hidden lugs leave a clean line from wrist to case.Another look at the case and detailing. Excellent, even finishing, beautifully detailed, and very impressive for the price.

Review of the Rolex Submariner 50th Anniversary Edition

The Submariner has always been one of my favorite watches, and I think Rolex has actually managed to improve it significantly.Here are the specs: 40mm case (no change in size, but the design is updated). New ceramic bezel with platinum graduations. (Ceramic is much more scratch- and UV-resistant than the old anodized aluminum, however it's also much more expensive to replace.) "Maxi dial" (meaning larger markers than the previous design as foreshadowed in the 50th Anniversary Edition). Sapphire crystal with AR-coated cyclops magnifier over the date (no change). Water-resistant to 300 meters or 1,000 feet (no change). New Oyster bracelet with a Glidelock clasp similar to what's on the Sea-Dweller DEEPSEA. This is a significant improvement over the older Oysterlock bracelet.The Mako line is available in a variety of dial colors; Orient USA tells us that the blue-dialed Mako is their best selling watch. It's not hard to tell why: inexpensive, well made, functional, and quite legible. I rather like the '6/9/12' Arabics on the dial; very cool looking and a nice balance to the day and date at 3 o'clock.The new Mako dial switches to larger markers with a double-width polygon at 12 o'clock. Similarly, the hands have a more complex shape and are bevelled instead of flat. Which do you prefer?I have a 7.5" wrist, and slightly prefer the fit of the new Mako, though both work pretty well in my opinion.Timekeeping for both is basically identical, at within 20 seconds per day. These are well-made but mass produced movements, and will last for many years with a tuneup every 3-5 years. I'd expect that they could be regulated to within ten seconds per day by a watchmaker if accuracy is important to you.

New Casio Pathfinder PAW

A watch is normallyconsidered "antimagnetic" (DIN 8309) if it can ignore 4,800 A/m.This works out to about 60 gauss, or 6% of what the newRolex is rated for. Rolex achieved the superior rating of the Milgauss by encasing the movementin soft iron, which is known as a Faraday cage. Theyalso introduced a new hairspring material, Parachrom-Blu,which is unaffected by magnetism. Quite an achievement!The Milgauss model has an interesting history. It was introduced in1954 for people who worked in environments with strong magnetic fields:power plants, research labs, etc. As you mightsuspect, that's a pretty small market, further crowded by the IWC Ingenieur,the Patek Philippe Amagnetic, and the Omega Railmaster, all of which had similar magneticresistance.In the Recon 5, Prometheus has used a mid-grade version with nice machine-applied decoration for a result that's quite visually appealing. If you compare the movement here with the one in the much-more-expensive Stowa Marine Original, you may wonder (as I did) if I overpaid for the Stowa!At the end of the Stowa review, I said that "About the only thing I'd change is a touch of lume on the hands and dial. Readability at night would be nice." Right on cue, the Recon 5 arrived and delivered exactly that. It has a bit more modern feel in the dial design, but otherwise it's quite a spectacularly-priced replacement. Case finishing is very good, especially for this price range.

Viewthe Suunto n6HR photo gallery

Viewthe Suunto n6HR photo gallery.If you're interested in this watch, I can make the decision really easy for you.As always, I'll go into all kinds of detail below, but for the majority of you,this first paragraph will be all you need. Here it goes: If you're an athlete whowants to optimize his or her workouts by monitoring your heart rate, and you'rea geek who wants to be constantly connected via MSN Direct, thenbuy this watch. Don't hesitate. There are no other watchesout there with this combination of functionality, so don't even bother looking.However if this does not describe you, then don't buy this watch. If you're anathlete without the geek part, check out the Suuntot6 or the NikeTriax. If you're a geek withoutthe athlete part, then check out the Suunton3i, SwatchPaparazzi, or the TissotHigh-T. That's really all you need know. But if you came here determined tofind more information on the Suunto n6HR, then read on. Features of the Suunto n6HRMSN Direct. One of the two most notable features of the Suunton6HR is its support for MSN Direct. I'm not going to get into details aboutthe MSN Direct service in this review since I've covered it in depth in previousarticles (for my most thorough description of the service, see myreview of the Swatch Paparazzi),but I will say that in general, Suunto's makes an excellent line of MSN Directwatches, and the n6HR is no exception.Heart rate monitor. The other most notablefeature is that the Suunto n6HR is the first and only watch to combineMSN Direct services with a heart rate monitor. The monitor fastens around yourchest, transmitting heart rate data wirelessly to the watch where it is displayedin real-time and recorded for later download to your PC. The Suunto n6HR comeswith desktop software called Training Manager which allows you to download yourtraining logs via USB, view and organize your workout information, and createtraining schedules and calendars. Integrating your Suunto n6HR with your PC evenlets you share your training plans with others via the SuuntoSports.com website.(Note that the Training Managers requires any version of Windows XP, or Windows2000 Server or Professional. For Outlook integration, you'll need Outlook2000, 2002, or XP. Mac users, you're SOL.)Multiple Watch Faces.