The St. Moritz Aeromax

I've spent a couple of weeks now with the St. Moritz Aeromax, and I have really enjoyed my time with this bold and unique timepiece. The Aeromax is part of the Momentum family of watches offered by St. Moritz. St. Moritz is a company with a 27-year history in diving watches, and has just recently moved its Momentum brand into sport watches as well. They started in 1980, and have been producing high-quality, entry-level luxury watches for divers ever since. Today they produce 18 different models that will appeal to a wide variety of buyers.

One thing that I found really interesting about St. Moritz is that they have gone out of their way to design and produce unique watches which have a look and feel of their own. In contrast, many of their peers "emulate" the older, more established brands' designs.

THE TUTIMA DI 300

When Tutima calls the DI 300 "the sports watch for active yachtsmen," they are apparently willing to put their money where their mouth is. Last year, during the Nord/LB Baltic Spirit Cup, the Tutima racing yacht (appropriately named "TUTIMA") pulled an orange-dial Tutima DI 300 behind it for 2,000 nautical miles (or about 2,300 regular miles for us landlubbers). I think they made their point that the Tutima DI 300 is water-tight, corrosion-resistant, and has an extremely robust bracelet and clasp.

The specs on the Tutima DI 300 go something like this:

• Titanium case.
• Solid titanium bracelet.
• Screw-down titanium crown.
• Unidirectional rotating bezel.
• Sapphire crystal.
• Automatic movement with day and date.
• Water resistant to 30 bar, 300 meters, or almost 1,000 feet.
• Available with an orange or black dial.

I don't know much about Tutima watches, however I am suddenly compelled to learn more. Hopefully I'll be posting a hands-on review in the not-too-distant future.

NITE WATCHES

Nite is an outdoor brand aimed at male consumers who pursue an active outdoor lifestyle and require a tough and reliable timepiece. Nite watches combine strength and durability with the added benefit of a unique illumination system known as GTLS (Gaseous Tritium Light Sources). This technology enables easy reading in any light condition without battery drain or the pressing of buttons. Nite sports watches are worn by outdoor & leisure enthusiasts and military professionals around the World.

Every Nite watch features a rare dial illumination system known as Gaseous Tritium Light Source (GTLS). These minute glass vials are filled with the gas tritium and internally coated with phospor. As the gas decays, the electrons emitted excite the phospor to create a light that is entirely self-powered and far brighter than traditional watch hands. By positioning a GTLS on each hand and at every hour marking the watch can be read in low and zero light conditions without pressing buttons or draining the battery.

SMITH AND WESSON WATCHES

Smith and Wesson watches are the easiest in the world to read in low light conditions and even in total darkness. The light emitting devices require no battery power or any other form of charging, and never need servicing or maintenance. Smith and Wesson watches are equipped with a tritium light source. These tiny, airtight vials, sealed under high pressure, are resistant to water, oil and the most corrosive materials. A minute quantity of tritium lights up the dye.

These merits have made Smith and Wesson watches an absolute must in the emergency, safety, and protection sectors as well as in the armed forces, but they are also ideal for fans of adventure and sport. Smith and Wesson watches are top quality Swiss component watches, extremely robust, and proverbially reliable. A choice of fashionable colors and timeless, striking designs complete this outstanding timepiece.

ROLEX RUNS IN THE FAMILY

I already told you the story of my father’s Rolex. It's a 1965 Rolex Oyster Perpetual that he received from his father as a high school graduation present. Apparently a new Rolex cost all of $125 back then, which is about $750 today. Anyway, now it's time to tell the story of my mom's Rolex.

First of all, lest you think I come from a wealthy family where all the children wear little Rolexes and are raised by European nannies, I'll start off by saying that my mom's Rolex was actually free. I'll further qualify that statement by saying that it was also not stolen.

We moved a lot as I was growing up. Probably every two years, on average. My parents were in banking, real estate, and building, and my dad eventually got his real estate license for the sake convenience, and to avoid having to pay agents commission. A friend of the family needed to buy a couple of office condos for a new business he was starting, so as a favor, he did so through my dad. Turns out the builder was giving away a Rolex to any agent who could sell two units within a certain amount of time. My dad came home ecstatic one day with the news that he was getting a second Rolex, though he was swiftly corrected by my mom. The result was a very nice ladies' two-tone Rolex Oyster Datejust.

That was about 19 years ago. The same watch sells for $4,175 today which may seem steep, but consider this: since she received the watch, my mom has hardly ever taken it off. It has been cleaned twice, and had the crystal replaced once (sapphire crystals generally don't scratch, but they do chip and break if you're hard enough on them). The watch keeps excellent time, and is just as stylish today as it was the day she got it. Someday it will be passed down to my sister, and she will likely get many years of use out of it, as well.

So as you can see, I come by my Rolex fetish honestly. One of these days, maybe I'll even get around to telling the story of my GMT Master II.

RGM WATCHES

We don't usually talk about high-end dress watches, and even more rarely about custom-made mechanical pieces, so this article is a bit of an experiment for us. But RGM -- both the company and the watches -- is too unique not have some mention on Watch Report.

As amazing as it might sound, America used to be the preeminent watch maker in the world in the pre World War II timeframe. Brands like Hamilton, Elgin, Gruen, Benrus, and Illinois led the way in automated production and railroad-grade watches, producing high-quality timepieces at a broad range of prices. Their decline can mainly be attributed to the quartz revolution of the 1960s.

An RGM watch can be had starting at about $1,750, although the majority of the collection ranges from $4,500 to $26,000. Major watch complications, like its Minute Repeater Perpetual Calendar or Tourbillon, are the crown jewels of the collection exceeding $80,000 to over $100,000. Even still, RGM is considered a bargain. The quality of the $1,700 RGM watch matches that of many other brands' watches costing many times as much.

And further:

RGM watches are crafted in extremely small series of 18k yellow or rose gold, platinum, and stainless steel. They feature hand-finished cases and such elements as engine-turned (guilloché) dials and blued-steel hands. In every case, they are of the highest quality in their price range. Most components are Swiss made although some models feature American and Swiss made components. Every limited-edition watch is individually numbered and signed.

Their low-priced watches use Swiss movements from ETA, Valjoux, and A Schild. I was particularly entranced by the GMT Alarm (pictured here).

Even their basic watches use high-grade movements that are finely decorated. ETA, for example, comes in 5 grades of movement, from undecorated to COSC chronometer, and RGM uses the best. Gorgeous stuff.

Not a lot of people understand, want, or need such watches, but if you do, an RGM is both a classic and a classy choice. As unique as you want, complete with historic American movements, RGM is a fascinating anomaly in the world of mass-produced European and Asian brands. I don't own one, but someday I hope to change that.

Omega’s new Seamaster Planet Ocean

There's not a lot of information available yet on Omega's new Seamaster Planet Ocean divers, but here's what I know so far:

• Stainless steel case (available in 42mm and 45.5mm).
• Stainless steel bracelet with folding safety clasp, rubber strap, or alligator leather.
• Unidirectional rotating bezel (inner third brushed aluminum, outer two-thirds black or orange).
• Sapphire crystal.
• Date.
• Luminescent (SuperLuminova) hands and markers.
• 48-hour power reserve.
• Water resistant to 600 meters (2000 feet).
• Co-Axial Escapement (reduces friction, improves long-term accuracy, and increases service intervals).
• Available in May of this year for an undisclosed price.