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The successor of the first WATCH event (in 2008) has been held in the weekend of the 14th and 15th of December 2009. Ernie Romers of WatchUseek and Marcel Mathijssen of WATCH Experience organized the second edition of this great event at the same location as in 2008, castle De Hoogenweerth in Maastricht. The line up of exhibitors was at least as impressive as in 2008, including:

Anonimo, Archimede, Arctos, Aristo, Azimuth, Benzinger, Blancier, Christiaan van der Klaauw, Defakto, D. Dornblüth & Sohn, Favre-Leuba, Genesis, Glycine, Limes, Linde Werdelin, LIP, Meistersinger, Montres de Luxe Milano, Nomos Glashütte, PELLIKAAN timing, Rainer Nienaber, R.O.1 Roland Oostwegel, Steffen, Stowa, Tempvs Compvtare, Van Ree and Vollmer.

The organization of this event aimed at the small independent watchmakers, and I am happy to note that some of them aren’t even Swiss or German. The list includes Dutch, Belgian and French watchmakers as well. These brands will not immediately ring a bell by the average watch-Joe, but are nevertheless interesting to give some attention if you are a watch enthusiast (of whatever kind).

As you can see, castle De Hoogenweerth is top of the bill for these kind of events. One of the sponsors (Biermans, dealer of Alfa Romeo, Fiat and Lancia cars) made sure you couldn’t miss their presence when entering the WATCH 2009 event.

Just before opening, a quick shot was made of one of the exhibition spaces in the castle. This part was filled with watches from Benzinger, Blancier, Archimede, D.Dornblüth & Sohn, Glycine, Favre Leuba and Linde Werdelin.

Not much later… all the booths are immediately crowded with interested watch enthusiasts.

On the watchmaker’s bench of Blancier I found this tourbillon prototype. The dial doesn’t reveal the tourbillon complication..

Here is a another crowded picture of the same groundfloor space, taken from the other side. Here you see the D.Dornblüth & Sohn team showing their watches to visitors.

Jorg Schauer showing off to Jochen Benzinger how to use the saw correctly.

Mrs. Benzinger at work…

On the first floor there was – besides a professional barista, a ladies luxury corner, Arctos and Van Ree watches – the Anonimo booth. Here you see Bernard Werk of WATCHING magazine in conversation with the Anonimo representative David Cypers of BENELUX.

Benard Werk showing the Anonimo Nautilo Steel Nautilo Bronze, made out of.. yes.. bronze. The sand-blasted and satinated watch case and bezel are manufactured in a special bronze alloy defined as UNI5275. Alloy UNI5275 belongs to a group of alloys (bronze-aluminium-iron-nickel) employed in hi-tech and high mechanical resistance ad anti-corrosion naval construction, like high performances propellers, propellers pitches, torpedoes flanges. Polished and satinated AISI 316 plus stainless steel back cover.

Time for a decent cappuccino from the barista coffee bar. Superb!

Back to the ground floor..  Aristo and Vollmer had a booth in the right wing of castle De Hoogenweerth. Aristo watches are being displayed, together with the mechanical movements used.

Another interesting booth was that of Tempvs Compvtare, Montres de Milano, LIP and Azimuth. In the picture above you see Nicolas Jeanson explaining his Tempvs Compvtare concept and prototype watch to visitors. Nicolas Jeanson is very passionate about the environment and watches. His Tempvs Compvtare watch had this almost organic shape, influenced by the hammerhead sharks.  The watch will be delivered on a NATO-strap, to be as environmental friendly as possible.

Above you see a close-up of the Tempvs Compvtare. The luminova material is embedded in the bezel, as well as in the pushers and crown (not shown on this picture).

A wrist shot, thanks to Bernard Werk.

Azimuth was represented by Dave van Dorst. The Mr. Roboto watch surely attracts attention.

A close-up on Mr. Roboto. The crown is surely a nice mechanical robot detail

Limes was until recently fairly unknown.. perhaps because they primarily focussed on making watch cases for others. Since some time, their own line of watches becomes more and more known (and popular). Above is their Limes Full Calendar watch, based on ETA/Valjoux 7751 movement.

Just like in 2008, Rainer Nienaber from Nienaber Bünde was sporting very colourful sneakers. And very nice timepieces ofcourse! In the photograph above, Rainer Nienaber is presenting (for the first  time) the ANTERO “The purist” wristwatch.

Straight from Antwerp, Mr and Mrs Steffen demonstrating their Leonardo, Julius and Galileo watches.

Nomos Glashütte, presented by Time Company (who also distributes Meistersinger in The Netherlands), had its Zürich model on display. This 39.7mm (which is quite large for Nomos) featuring an in-house movement and is available with or without a date-window.

Christiaan van der Klaauw at his booth during the WATCH 2009. The impressive line-up of watches includes the…

Christiaan van der Klaauw Tourbillon!

Hessel Ruijgh of Friederichs represented Glycine, Favre-Leuba and Linde Werdelin. Above you see a close-up of the Linde Werdelin SpidoLite SA.

Lecturers were given by Michael Clerizo of Masters of Contemporary Watchmaking and Till Lotterman of Blancier. Above you see Michael Clerizo, explaining some of the world’s most impressive watches made by independent master watchmakers.

Between all the visits, there was time and space to get some drinks and share some experiences and feelings about watches we’ve seen and people we’ve talked to. In the blue sweater (and white sneakers), yours truly

And last but not least, the ladies have not been forgotten with the Ladies Luxury Corner. The space was filled with handmade shoes, bags, hats and interior accessories so there was no reason to leave your wife or girlfriend at home.

Photocredits by Ernie Romers and myself.

For more pictures (taken by Ernie Romers), visit this link.

To summarize the event, it was a superb organized watch event for watch enthusiasts and for people who appreciate the finer things in life, such as watches. Ernie and Marcel and the whole WATCH 2009 crew deserve a big thumbs up |> for all the hard work done. Also, this event wouldn’t be the same when the exhibitors weren’t as enthusiastic as they were. I have rarely seen another event that did not get one single critical note. WATCH 2009 was a true success and I hope that 2010 will bring us another one, just as good!

Tags: Anonimo, Archimede, Aristo, Azimuth, Benzinger, Blancier, Christiaan van der Klaauw, Dornblüth, Favre-Leuba, Glycine, Limes, Linde Werdelin, LIP, Lotterman, Meistersinger, Nomos, Steffen, Stowa, Tempvs Compvtare, Vollmer, Watch 2009

Sometimes, I notice that I don’t look anymore at certain < 1000 USD (or 750 Euro) watches. Not that I think they aren’t properly made or that these watches are inferior to what is in my collection already, but I just overlook them. Aside from being in the credit crisis and bonuses aren’t being spend on expensive watches, I think some of these < 1000 USD watches can be mighty interesting. For both the starting and the advanced collector.

Like one of my watch friends recently said, it is very easy to be critical (or negative) towards the quality of cheaper watches, but look at it this way: it is quite charming to get a watch that you know of that it could be done better, but not for this kind of money or not by the people behind it. They did the best thing they could do (in their powers) to create a watch, and for this kind of money.

1. DMH

First of this top 5 is a watch that was introduced to me by HorlogeNieuws.nl, a Dutch website for watch adepts. DMH stands for Dingemans Mechanische Horloges, which is Dutch for Dingemans Mechanical Watches. This one-man show is the work of Fred Dingemans, he works from his home in a small village in The Netherlands. He uses all kind of tools, but makes sure he does as much by himself as possible. Only 12 pieces per year and approximately 800 euro. A bit above budget perhaps, but it also depends how the USD>EUR conversion is today Not a lot of money for a hand crafted watch like this, using a mechnical Swiss movement, original design and produced in very limited numbers.

2. Sinn 656

This 720 Euro Sinn 656 is a serious option for both serious collectors as the starting collector. Or the guy that just wants one decent watch for a very fair price. It has an ETA 2824-2 movement, a very legible dial, a date feature and a nice soft leather strap. I have written a lot about Sinn in the past and at one point, I even owned one (the ST142St.S). Sinn is a relative small watch manufacturer from Frankfurt am Main in Germany, creating highly functional watches. Function over form, so to speak. The 656 is highly anti-magnetic (80.000 m/A), has a sand blasted case, sapphire crystal and comes with either a leather strap or stainless steel bracelet. The picture is from Horloge Platform Nederland btw.

3. Junghans Max Bill Automatic

Another watch from our German watch friends, who are especially known for two of their models. The Mega1 radio controlled wrist watch and the Max Bill watch. Max Bill was a designer (Bauhaus) and designed a bauhaus style watch for Junghans (since 1861) in 1962. Lately, Junghans has been re-releasing this watch up to current standards. The 38mm automatic version is 695 Euro and comes on a mesh bracelet. This is a typical watch that works for almost anyone who is in the need of a classic time piece.

4. Stowa Airman

Loyal readers might recognize this picture, as I have been blogging about it before (click here for the coverage on this watch). Stowa is owned by Jorg Schauer, known for the time pieces made under his own name. For 590 Euro (approximately 780 USD), you can have this original flieger uhr (pilot’s watch). No branding on the dial, as legible as it can come, automatic ETA 2824-2 movement (same as the Sinn 656), blued hands and a 40mm watch case. This size is considered to be the maximum again by some watch fans. This watch can be ordered directly from the Stowa website. A watch like this is probably not for everyone (including me), but I know for sure that a lot of you will like the ‘raw’ flieger thing.

5. Seiko Monster SKX781

I am not joking. For less than 200 USD, you are the owner of this Seiko Monster watch. It is a respected watch amongst divers and collectors, water resistant to 200 meters, has an inhouse automatic movement (caliber 7S26, for what it is worth), 42mm in diameter and for a few bucks extra, you can attach a rubber strap to it as well. I’ll be the first one to admit that this is a bit of a strange choice, but it is here to show you that even for as little money as 200 USD you can have a nice (and original) automatic time piece of great quality. Although I think the bracelet might be a bit sharp edged, with a rubber strap it should be comfortable. The production of this watch started in 2000, and its name ‘Monster’ is of course not official. Officially, Seiko just uses the SKX781 reference. The stainless steel bracelet has a diver’s extension, which is there to use with a diving suit. The mechanical movement is automatic, and the strange thing is, it doesn’t handwind. You really have to ‘use’ the rotor to wind it.

To sum it up, these are 5 more or less ‘unique’ (each in its own way) time pieces that can be had for less than 1000 USD. Of course, there are a lot more, and my top 5 will probably change along the way. But for now, I definately would choose from these 5, probably number 1 (DMH) or 2 (Sinn 656).

What would be your top 5 of < 1000 USD watches? Leave your ideas in the comments!

Tags: DMH, Jorg Schauer, Junghans, Seiko, Sinn, Stowa

My longtime watchfriend Bas van Dorp informed me that he just ordered the Stowa Airman. Stowa was also present on the Watch 2008 event in Maastricht, but I must admit that I skipped this brand because I don’t like their bauhaus style watches. They remind me too much of Nomos. And I prefer Nomos if I’d wanted a Bauhaus style wrist watch.

Stowa is a brand founded in 1927, by Walter Storz. After their factory was destroyed in Word War II (February 1945), Herr Storz immediately started building a new factory in Pforzheim. During the war, there were only five companies that made official/original pilot watches. These were IWC, Lange & Söhne, Laco, Wempe and Stowa.

Just like the other brands, Stowa is still alive & kicking today and is also still producing pilot watches. With the Stowa Airman, you can own one of the famous pilot watches. Recently, Stowa introduced the Airman Original, which comes closest to das Original from the 1940s. It is a 41mm wrist watch with a handwound Unitas 6497 (also used in Panerai for example) with blued screws, swan neck regulator (optional) and Geneva stripes for optical finish. Stowa offers this watch for 990 Euro, but it won’t be available before mid-2009.

Another very nice classic Airman is the Airman Automatic without logo. This means that there is no ‘Stowa’ wording printed on the dial. Which I don’t care for anyway A pilot’s watch needs to be as readible and therefor ‘clean’ as possible. This version is 40mm and uses the proven ETA 2824 movement. For an additional 210 euro, you can have it COSC certified. The basic non-COSC version is for sale on the Stowa website for 590 Euro. Available within 8 weeks. You can choose between a brown or black leather strap, or a metal milanaise bracelet (additional 130 euro).

Today, Stowa is owned by Jorg Schauer. Herr Schauer is also known for the watches labeled under his own name.

I don’t think there are a lot of watches that offer the same for 590 Euro. A quality movement, great history and – today also important – an online community to support these watches. Ernie Romers of WatchUseek hosts the official Stowa & Jorg Schauer forum. Click here to visit the official Stowa forum.

Tags: Flieger, Jorg Schauer, Stowa