When I got the call asking if I’d be up for reviewing the third watch by Vario, the WWI 1918 Trench Watch, I was genuinely excited. I remember seeing Vario’s second watch, the Empire, and being really impressed with the build quality and value that it presented. Military watches have proven a lasting interest of…
Life, watches and other cool stuff
By Troy McHenry
Review: Isotope’s Goutte d’Eau Nordblad “Special Edition” Leaves Me Out in the Cold and I Like It
When Shane, the founder of WATCHA, first offered me the opportunity to review the Isotope Goutte d’Eau Nordblad “Special Edition,” I actually jumped at the opportunity (well not literally, that would come later…). Honestly, I was drawn to it right from the start for the simple fact I saw two crowns, so I knew, at…
The Grumpy Collector: All I Want For Christmas… Is You… And A New Watch
If the title of this post doesn’t have you singing Mariah Carey either out loud or in your head, then you’re obviously not in the spirit of Christmas. In the watch world, I’ve slowly collected a mental list of things I’ve always wanted and yet no brand or manufacturer has taken on. After realizing that…
The Grumpy Collector: We didn’t start the fire: When is a watch vintage, classic, retro, or antique?
Billy Joel told us time is relentless in his song “Two Thousand Years” (on the much maligned but I think endearing album, River of Dreams). Who am I to disagree with the bard from the Bronx? As I turned 40 last year, it’s gotten me thinking about time, how we define things, and much more…
The Grumpy Collector: Fee-fi-faux-fum, I spy the faux patina and I like it
While Joseph Jacobs, the author of the 1890 English fairy tale “Jack and the Beanstock” is probably turning in his grave after reading the title of this piece, I hope he can forgive me since it’s aim is pure. I’ve started wondering, am I the only person who cringes when you hear the word “fauxtina”?…
Review: Junghans Celebrates 100 Years of Bauhaus
As a general rule I dislike watch reviews for a watch that is either already sold out, generally unobtainable, or wasn’t made available to the general public. That being said, I wanted to do a review of the officially “sold out” Junghans “max bill Automatic Edition 100 Jahre Bauhaus” for three reasons: 1.) because the…
The Grumpy Collector: Let’s take it one day at a time
There are few things in the watch collecting world that really get my goat (well, if I had a goat), more than multi-day date windows. I’d like to think this trend has already hit its peak and is slowly, and rightfully, declining, but I’d like to help contribute nails to the coffin as much as…