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A farewell to the discontinued Tudor Heritage Chrono
Last year marked the 10-year anniversary of an icon no-one seems to be talking about anymore. And so, maybe it didn’t come as a surprise that the 10-year anniversary coincided with the announcement of Tudor retiring one of their models that once helped to reignite excitement in the Rolex’s dying sister brand. The job was…
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My watch collection #13 Venturo Skindiver
When Naoki and his Gruppo Gamma announced the Venturo Skindiver he immediately had my attention. As you might recall from previous posts, Gruppo Gamma was one of earliest experiences with mechanical watches and the Divemaster had left a big impression. Venturo is the sister brand, and actually reads ‘Venturo by Gruppo Gamma’. The two brands…
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Watches on AliExpress that caught my interest in December 2023
Whether you like it or not, AliExpress offers some of the best value for money watches you can buy today. The Chinese factories have stepped up their watch game and created a big following in recent years. Most models to come out of Shenzhen are still copycats imitating the famous Swiss designs, but more and…
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My watch collection #12 Venturo Field Watch II
Yes, what we got here is one of my personal favourites. The amount of wrist time it gets would not suggest this, but I can assure you every time I wear it and look down on my wrist I get a good feeling. This watch was a substitute. Not a conscious one, but when I…
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My watch collection #11 Wolbrook & Douglas Skindiver Worldtimer
Two for one! Wolbrook went live with their Kickstarter campaign sometime during or just before the pandemic hit. Their campaign was mega successful and they delivered gallantly (in contrast to others). And no wonder they were successful. The original offering was a gorgeous looking re-edition of a skin diver from the 60s, right when skin…
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What’s in a grail watch?
Behold the holy grail! Is that what I will tell my fellow watch enthusiasts in a few weeks time when I proudly wear my grail watch on my left wrist? Probably not. Sure, the grail is a grail because it’s been a barrier to acquire, and as such bear a level of desirability. But it’s…
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Can watch collecting become an addiction?
There comes a point in one’s watch collecting journey where you might ask yourself – Is this an addiction? Why am I spending time and money on a seemingly meaningless activity? We collect watches because we enjoy it, that is pretty obvious. And as with anything one enjoys, it’s all peachy as long as there’s…
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My watch collection #10 Seiko skx009
I used my skx007 loads. I did really enjoy it, especially on the Strapcode jubilee. But it was a second hand watch and ran an awful lot behind, somewhere around 30 seconds a day. So in a clumsy attempt to adjust it I accidentally touched something I shouldn’t have in the movement and the watch…
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Should you collect watches?
Short answer: No. There are so many better things you can do with your time. But. Watch collecting, or any type of collecting for that matter, is quite a nice activity. It’s a short lived pleasure however, just like watching sitcoms or having sex with people you don’t know. So I just threw watch collecting…
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My watch collection #9 Seiko skx007
What can I say that haven’t been said already about the legendary Seiko skx007? Really not much. This iconic model has been examined and described to death, primarily because it’s seen as the gateway drug into mechanical watches. The skx007 and 009 were indeed very well-specced, ISO-certified mechanical dive watches that could be had for…
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Quartz versus mechanical – List of pros and cons
When it comes to watches, few topics are so polarising as the quartz versus mechanical one. It’s a silly thing to get caught up in since in the end it doesn’t matter, and you don’t have to take a stance. No one has ever been forced to choose between battery or spring powered watches for…
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My watch collection #8 Vertigo Pilot One
At the time of writing, the Vertigo Pilot One is the earliest watch still remaining in my collection. I’ve talked about watch collecting before and for me it’s a journey of trial and error, dead ends and exploration. No GPS, just pure fun. That means a lot of watch flipping. But the Pilot One still…
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Are you collecting watches or memories?
My big brother has got two watches. One is for work and formal events, and one is for adventures. That’s all you need really. I wish I could be the same. Just own two watches; an everyday wearer and a beater. Instead I’ve got 16 everyday wearers, and because I like a rugged style, nine…
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My watch collection #7 Blenheim Navigator Luminous
The Blenheim was a Kickstarter watch that didn’t stay long in my possession. I’m not even sure why I backed the project. The watch was cheap, looked ok and I hadn’t bought a watch in a while, I guess. The Navigator Luminous is heavily inspired by the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms. A dive icon that was…
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Is the Seiko Turtle the perfect beater watch for your outdoor adventures?
Seiko Turtle has a fascinating history preceding the latest iteration/reissue released in 2016. It’s got its ocean-inspired nickname from the iconic cushion-shape case, but also because its a competent diver – just like its namesake. Many a gospels have been sung about the Seiko SKX, but I don’t think I’m alone in saying that the…
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My watch collection #6 Pancor P02
Here’s an interesting watch. Pancor P02 launched as a Kickstarter campaign in 2017 and was delivered in 2018. It’s a unique mechanical watch that work in many settings. Priced around £250, it wasn’t a spontaneous purchase but after a bit of to and fro I thought this would be a piece I could have quite…
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The complete list of wood watch brands in 2022
I started Gloriousdays in 2012. Ten years ago there really weren’t many watch brands specialising in natural materials like wood and bamboo. It felt new and fresh, and it was the perfect accessory for the type of lifestyle I wanted to portrait with the brand. Quickly the natural material watch trend took off and more…
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My watch collection #5 Aquatico Aqua One
I’m not sure how the Aquatico Aqua One ended up on my radar. At that point, in late 2017 I was already quite into my micro brands and subscribed to a lot of pages on Facebook. I’m guessing Aquatico posted something about their new model and at first sight it mainly just looked like another…
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How to pull off a two tone watch
Are you thinking about getting a two-tone watch but aren’t sure you can pull off the blingy association with old men and drug dealers? It is true that, although not as loud as a gold watch, a two tone watch is still quite a piece with plenty of wrist presence regardless of size. I’m not…
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My watch collection #4 Deep Blue Nato Diver
When Deep Blue announced their Nato Diver model in 2016 the watch world raised an eyebrow. Why would a micro brand make a near like-for-like copy of the Seiko SKX007 and sell it for pretty much the same price as the original? I like the SKX. It’s a classic. But there was one detail that…
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Is it safe to buy pre-order watches on Kickstarter?
“No need to worry, Mark is just taking his time, focusing on perfecting our watches rather than updating the backers on every single detail.” The comforting words are coming from a fellow Kickstarter.com project backer on the ‘backers only’ Facebook group. Here, Mark Rogers, founder of Nardi watches has been communicating regularly with his backers…
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My watch collection #3 Gruppo Gamma Divemaster
After browsing dive watches for hours on end I finally came across a pre-order watch from Singapore based microbrand Gruppo Gamma. Gruppo Gamma was mainly known for their Panerai hommages in 2016 but with the Divemaster they created something inspired by vintage divers but yet fully unique. The Divemaster was a chunky diver spanning 44…
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My watch collection #2 Orient Ray
It doesn’t take long for anyone getting into watches to find out about Orient. The brand is usually positioned as Seiko’s arch nemesis with a slightly friendlier price tag. Orient does in fact make very good value watches with in-house mechanical movements. It’s not strange then that Orient was my first mechanical watch to ever…
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My watch collection #1 Autodromo Prototipo
The Prototipo from UK microbrand Autodromo was my first flirt with watches other than my own bamboo watches since I started Gloriousdays. I’d had my eyes on the Prototipo for a long time before I bought it. It was just one of those designs that speaks to you. The model is since long sold out…
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What complications and features should I look for in a watch?
In this day and age we rarely wear watches with time keeping as the main reason. If you haven’t opted for a smart watch you are most likely wearing one as a style accessory. That was not always the case however. Wrist watches, and pocket watches before that, were crucial tools in both professional and…
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7 sexy 70’s styled chronographs from affordable to luxury
The 1970’s produced some of the most interesting watch designs of modern time. It was a time where mechanical watches still filled a function, be it for diving, racing or navigating. That combined with the funky aesthetics of the decennium produced some bright and iconic chronographs. The chronograph watch face in particular lent itself to…
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My two grail watches
A grail watch is a watch collector’s term for the most desirable watch a person can think of. It’s normally an expensive watch, hard to obtain. If money or scarcity wasn’t an issue, the grail watch is the watch the person wants the most. I have two grail watches. They are not the normal Speedy,…
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What affects the fit of a wrist watch?
When I started wearing watches I didn’t even consider what size it was. I assume a lot of people don’t until they try on a watch that is so over or under sized that it doesn’t feel right. Well, that feeling depends on a couple of parameters in the watch. Today we’re looking at those…
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The making of Clipper and Catalina – Two retro looking bamboo watches inspired by exploration.
Have you noticed that Gloriousdays has two watch lines? The original Bambu line and the Explorer line. Catalina and Clipper belong to the Explorer line which is inspired by seaplanes of the past. I have a strong affinity for the romance surrounded by nautical exploration and my favourite watch style can be found in retro…
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2012 – 2022: Gloriousdays Bamboo Watches has reached its final chapter
Ten years ago I started a new watch brand. With a bit of money to spare and an idea to create a brand and launch a product on my own, I set out to source white label designs on the Chinese wholesale sites. It was a steep learning curve. I knew nothing about import and…