Historical Perspectives: The Jaeger-LeCoultre Compass Camera, An Ultra-Compact 35mm Camera From The 1930s
This is one of the most unlikely and wonderful little machines to come out of Jaeger-LeCoultre, ever. You may have read about the Compass Camera before, but if not, it’s a compact camera that JLC made in the late 1930s, and at the time it was one of the most technically advanced cameras anyone had ever made. Machined out of aluminum, it’s a 35mm film camera, with rangefinder, ground glass viewfinder, exposure meter, and a ton of other bells and whistles, all in a package just 2 3/4 inches x 2 1/4 inches x 1 1/4 inches.
Most of the Basel buzz around Omega has focused on the very excellent (and likely very hard to get) Trilogy limited editions – and rightly so. But these three spot-on reissues represent only a fraction of Omega’s 2017 c0llection, which is jam-packed full of new variants and completely new models appearing across their key collections. Not only do we have new versions of the Speedmaster and a revamped Aqua Terra 150m, but there’s a completely new regular production Railmaster and a particularly bold Planet Ocean that goes by the name of “Big Blue”. In short, there’s something for everybody.
Editor’s Note: Last year one of the fiercest inter-office debates was about the perfectly composed heritage piece that is the larger Divers Sixty-Five from Oris. The perennial question was, “bronze or steel?” Andrew was firmly in the bronze camp, I was steel. Read on to find out why. Story in a second No risk of second-album syndrome here – this slightly larger take on the Divers Sixty-Five is a worthy, if slightly more mainstream, follow-up to the original release. There must be something good in the water at Hölstein, because Oris has been on fire lately. The 100% mechanical brand has always had a solid following thanks to its no-fuss divers and pilots pieces, but even though the watches represent excellent bang for buck, they’ve always been a little under the radar. That changed last year with the release of the original Divers Sixty-Five, a pitch-perfect reissue that hit all the right notes. Well, Oris has been busy making hay while the sun shines. There are now several new dial versions of the original model, as well as a 42mm limited edition bronze piece. Today, though, we’re focusing on the new steel 42mm version. The case To be honest, I was quite surprised…
While one of the key trends of Basel 2017 is a move towards more wrist-friendly dive watches (see exhibits A and B), there’s no doubt that big and bold is still the name of the game. Omega’s latest PO, the “Big Blue”, delivers on both fronts, thanks to its whopping 45.5mm wide by 17.8mm high case made from bright blue ceramic. Why Big Blue? Well, asides from the obvious, it’s an homage to a super funky (and super collectable) Omega diver’s chronograph from the ’70s. This Big Blue follows on from last year’s release of the fully ceramic “Deep Black”, itself an evolution of successful ceramic Speedmasters, notably the DSOTM. From all this activity we can deduce that Omega is increasingly serious about integrating ceramic in a big way, well beyond bezels, movement components and the odd limited edition. And why not? If you’ve got the technical know-how and production capacity (like Omega does), you might as well use it. The case and dial of the Big Blue are made from pigmented zirconium oxide powder that’s sintered into an ultra-hard ceramic, then machined with diamond tools and plasma-treated to its final shape. It’s not just the case that’s impressive: the…
Editor’s Note: Andy Green has pretty much been part of the Time+Tide team since day one. But it wasn’t until 2017 that the stars aligned and he was able to attend Baselworld. And I think it’s fair to say that Andy had a quintessential first Basel. He was blown away, occasionally overwhelmed, but most of all I think he loved discovering new things and meeting the watchmakers he’s admired and the people he’s DM’d from afar IRL. Andy’s personal Top 10 list really reflects this. Sure, it’s about the watches, but the people behind the scenes are just as important. Hope to see you at Basel 2018 Andy. H. Moser & Cie Pioneer Centre Seconds in Steel I’ve always been a big fan of H. Moser & Cie, and have been especially fond of their recent marketing campaigns. So, when I turned up to their stall and was told that for the first time, they had a new release in steel, I got pretty excited. This was my pick of the fair (which will come as no surprise to my IG followers). I just love everything about this watch: the stunning fumé dial, the curvaceous crystal and the famous Moser ‘less is more’ approach. As a steel…