While it may be called Skindiver, the Ball Watch EM Skindiver III Beyond is built to standards that allow it to withstand the extreme conditions and rigors that even professional decompression divers will endure.
The new Ball Watch EM Skindiver III Beyond.
It also happens to be well-made and a handsome watch that will appeal to anyone who enjoys a sports watch look – or just swimming in style.
Inside the 41.5mm x 13.8mm stainless steel case, this Skindiver houses an automatic winding movement beating at 28,800 vph with an 80-hour power reserve and adjusted and tuned to chronometer standards. The Swiss made movement is anti-magnetic and upgraded with the Ball Amortiser system which brings the anti-shock rating to an impressive 5,000Gs.
Encompassing the cyclops-enhanced sapphire crystal over the dial, the unidirectional rotating bezel has embedded self-illuminating tritium tubes and a domed sapphire crystal ring of its own. Tritium tubes are also used on the dial and hands for superb low-light legibility.
The watch has a classic, timeless look that is both stylish and practical. The black dial and stainless-steel case and bracelet give the watch a sporty tool-watch appearance, while the matte dial has a subtle finish visible under magnification that minimizes glare.
Overall, the Ball Watch EM Skindiver III Beyond is an exceptional dive watch that combines durability, functionality, and style. Whether you are a professional diver or simply someone who enjoys spending time outdoors, this watch is a great choice. Price: $3,699. More info at www.shop.ballwatch.ch.
MB&F adds two new versions of its aerodynamic Horological Machine No.9 Sapphire Vision (HM9-SV), now offering models with a blue CVD movement in a white gold frame and a green CVD movement with a yellow gold frame. The clear case fully exposes the watch’s dual cantilevered balances, planetary differential and free-spinning twin turbines.
One of two new HM9-SV models.
Both new models expand the HM9-SV series, which debuted in 2021 with four clear sapphire editions of the original HM9.
With its sapphire livery, the watch joined a family of MB&F models with significant clear sapphire customization, including the HM8,the HM3 FrogX and the ten-sapphire-crystal HM6.
The pioneering independent watchmaker debuted its first HM9 Flow in 2019 as a tribute to 1940s and 1950s automotive and aeronautic designs.
Re-engineered
MB&F culls from its wide-ranging experience of creating with sapphire when re-engineering the HM9 with its clear case. On these SV models, MB&F seals the outer hull with a proprietary three-dimensional gasket and specialized high-tech compound bonding process. The result is new type of water resistant seal (to 30 meters) that is practically invisible.
MB&F explains that its designers were also required to rework a few the original HM9 dimensions with smoother lines and fewer edges to account for the property differences of sapphire crystal.
While quite hard, sapphire can fracture under pressure, which means the smoother lines on this HM9-SV limited this possibility. At the same time the rounded edges only enhance the organic aesthetic of the full watch.
Also new to the HM9-SV is an enhanced shock-resistance system made of laser-forged springs placed between the movement and the case.
As a reminder, the ‘flow’ of time begins on the HM9-SV with two fully independent cantilevered balances that dominate the top of the HM9-SV channel data into the central, spiky differential.
This effectively melds the information sent by the dual balances to a single time-pulse. High-tech conical gears then transmit that energy to through a 90° angle, which in turn makes its way to the HM9-SV’s perpendicular sapphire crystal dial.
MB&F is offering both new editions to the HM9 Sapphire Vision family (PVD-coated blue movement with a white gold frame and a PVD-coated green movement with a yellow gold frame) as a limited edition of five pieces. Price: $490,000.
Movement: Manual-winding in-house with two fully independent balance wheels with planetary differential, frequency of 18,000 bph, single barrel with 45-hour power reserve. Hours and minutes on vertical dial display, dual spherical turbines under the movement,shock-absorbing helicoidal springs linking the movement to the case.
Case: ‘SV’ editions in 57mm x 47mm x 23mm sapphire crystal with frame in 18-karat white, yellow or rose gold (5N+). Hour/minute dial in sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment and Super-LumiNova on the numbers and indexes. Water resistant to 30 meters. Unique assembly process of the three sapphire crystal case parts with a patented three-dimensional gasket and high-tech bonding compound. Total of five sapphire crystals treated with anti-reflective coating: three crystals for the main components of the case, one crystal covering the dial, and one crystal for the dial itself.
Strap: Hand-stitched brown or black alligator strap with red, yellow or white gold folding buckle matching the case.
Giorgio Galli’s CV includes over thirty years in the watch industry with designs and collaborations with numerous brands we all recognize. Today, as the creative director at Timex, Galli has launched a design that is so pure and elegant that it demands our attention.
The new Timex Giorgio Galli S2.
The eponymous release is called the GG(Giorgio Galli) S2 and it takes the Timex brand into new realms of movements, price-points, and unfettered design.
The black dial with the notched metal ring is subtly elegant without the clamor of ostentation or affectation. Upon closer inspection, the attention to detail comes to light in the multi-faceted hour and minute hands.
To my eye the flat hands typical of so many affordable watches falls flat on me. When beveled, watch hands capture and reflect light, not only making the watches easier to read on a black background, but also adding a depth and panache to any watch in which they are installed.
Galli also made the right choice to eschew the date function on this watch. No-doubt the purity of this design would have been deflated by any distractions on this austere dial.
From the back you’ll note that rather than a threaded case-back Galli opted for a back held in place with six-screws. While it is more difficult to get higher levels of water resistance in this type of construction, it does look good to the eye and has the advantage of always having the case back oriented in the vertical position. Still, the GGS2 is water resistant to 50 meters, which is more than sufficient for a dress watch of this type.
The GGS2 also represents a new price point for Timex and is effectively double the cost of the nearest Timex I could find on the company’s website. Having said that, there is a lot of watch for the money embedded in this design.
The Swiss-made watch houses a Sellita SW 200 automatic winding mechanical movement, combines injection molded steel and titanium into the perfectly proportioned 38mm case, and features flat sapphire crystals front and back. Add to that a solid steel deployant buckle and a chemical resistant nitrile rubber strap and you end up with a lot of watch for $975.
To Timex and Giorgio Galli I say bravo for creating the Black Tie(mex), a watch retailing for under $1,000 that would look right at home at any black tie affair.
Zenith presents two encore editions of its colorful Defy 21 Chroma, a white ceramicDefy 21 watch from 2022 characterized by a rainbow of colors on its dial and on its visible high-frequency movement components. The Le Locle manufacture unveils the Defy 21 Chroma II, a new edition of the watch, which Zenith is offering in a black ceramic case and a white ceramic case.
On the black ceramic Zenith Defy 21 Chroma you’ll find hues based on the primary colors.
The newest models, which maintain the original’s 44mm case diameter, offer their own range of colorful accents. On the black ceramic edition you’ll find hues based on the primary colors.
On the white ceramic Defy 21 Chroma Zenith emphasizes brighter colors like blue and pink.
On the white ceramic version the accents are brighter, emphasizing blues and pinks. On both, colors mark the hours and the 1/100-of-a-second scale and then continue to the crown’s rubber grip ring and the strap.
The color show continues within the movement, where Zenith has applied a different metallic color to each bridge, each coordinated with the adjacent dial marker color. From the clear sapphire back you can see more hues, notably the blue-colored oscillating weight and a colorized escapement bridge.
The movement here is Zenith’s 1/100th of a second chronograph movement, the El Primero 9004 automatic (the El Primero 21), which features two independent regulators and gear trains for the timekeeping and chronograph functions, operating at frequencies of 5Hz (36,000 VpH) and 50Hz (360,000 VpH), respectively.
Zenith is offering each model as a limited edition of 500 pieces. Price: $15,600. We expect these colorful models to sell quickly given the strong response to the original edition, which Zenith reports sold out of its 200-piece production run not long after its debut during LVMH Watch Week in 2022.
Specifications: Zenith Defy El Primero 21 Chroma II
(Reference: 49.9014.9004/01.R953, white ceramic model)
Movement: El Primero 9004. Frequency of 36,000 VpH – 5Hz (Watch) and 360,000 VpH – 50 Hz (Chronograph) with a power reserve of 50 hours (Watch) and 50 min (Chronograph). Certified Chronometer.“Rainbow” PVD-coated bridges and special blue-colored oscillating weight with satined finishings.
Functions: Hours and minutes in the centre. Small seconds at 9 o’clock. 1/100th of a second Chronograph: Central chronograph hand, 30-minute counter at 3 o’clock, 60 second counter at 6 o’clock, Chronograph power-reserve indication at 12 o’clock (approx. 50 min).
Case: 44mm matte white ceramic with flat sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment on both sides; caseback also with transparent sapphire crystal. Water resistant to 100 meters.
Dial: White open-worked with rhodium-plate, faceted and coated with rainbow varnish. Hands also rhodium-plated, faceted and coated with colored varnish.
Bracelet: White rubber strap with rainbow stitching. Titanium double folding clasp.
Price: $15,600
Specifications: Zenith Defy El Primero 21 Chroma II
Movement: El Primero 9004. Frequency of 36,000 VpH – 5Hz (Watch) and 360,000 VpH – 50 Hz (Chronograph) with a power reserve of 50 hours (Watch) and 50 min (Chronograph). Certified Chronometer. “Rainbow” PVD-coated bridges and special blue-colored oscillating weight with satined finishings.
Functions: Hours and minutes in the center. Small seconds at 9 o’clock. 1/100th of a second Chronograph: Central chronograph hand, 30-minute counter at 3 o’clock, 60-second counter at 6 o’clock, Chronograph power-reserve indication at 12 o’clock (approx. 50 min).
Case: 44mm black micro-blasted ceramic with flat sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment on both sides; caseback also with transparent sapphire crystal. Water resistant to 100 meters.
Dial: Black open-worked with rhodium-plated hour markers, faceted and coated with “Rainbow” varnish. Hands are rhodium-plated, faceted and coated with colored varnish.
Bracelet: Black rubber strap with rainbow stitching. Titanium double folding clasp.
One of the three new Luminox Original Navy SEAL 3000 EVO Series debuts, here with a sand-colored dial and matching rubber strap.
The series is the direct descendent of the Original Navy SEAL 3001 that has been officially licensed by the U.S. Navy since 1992.
The 43mm by 13mm Swiss quartz-powered watches, with their new sand, green or white dials and matching rubber bracelets (the white-dialed model features a black rubber strap), retain their robust, military approved specs.
These include 200-meters of water resistance, a tough Carbonox carbon-composite case, a sapphire crystal, a screw-in double security gasket crown and a unidirectional Carbonox bezel.
And as with all Luminox watches, the newest Original Navy SEAL 3000 EVO watches benefit from the watchmaker’s famed luminous dial treatment called Luminox Light Technology.
On these models Luminox places its self-powered micro gas light tubes on each of the hour markers and at the 12 o’clock position on the unidirectional turning bezel.
All the markers and hands on all three watches will glow in any light condition for up to twenty-five years.
With its sapphire livery, the watch joined a family of MB&F models with significant clear sapphire customization, including the 
These include 200-meters of water resistance, a tough Carbonox carbon-composite case, a sapphire crystal, a screw-in double security gasket crown and a unidirectional Carbonox bezel.
