amanicoHere we go, my friends. I promised to post this census a long time ago. It is time to keep my word. I will publish all the pictures of the TR 900 I could see in real life, but also those I could see here and there...Story

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amanico14 years since now. In fact, it took me 5 years to fully understand the Fifty Fathoms Bronze Milspec case. From 2008 to 2013... In 2008, I discovered two Bronze Milspec, an US NAVY and a " Civilian "...Story

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amanicoWhich is not Fifty Fathoms anymore, as it is 300 meters water resistant. But we have, with the X Fathoms, the most technical diving watch, for sure. You immediately noticed that we have a mechanical depth gauge, here, and that it is not a first, as mechanical depth gauge in a wrist watch came as soon as 1964 with the Nivada Depthomatic, followed, in 1966, by the more famous Favre Leuba Bathy 50. You also remember that in the late 90's early 2000's we had the IWC Deep One, and, in 2006, a more technical Jaeger .....Story

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foverstaFor me, things are very clear: Blancpain was the most convincing brand of Time to Move, the event organized by Swatch Group to present the novelties of its high end brands. In fact, little by little, Blancpain seems to find its way after going astray in strange strategic directions like the launch of the L-Evolution collection. Blancpain relies on two fundamental pillars of its catalog (Fifty Fathoms and Villeret) and does so with reason. On one side, casual chic watches with a neo-retro trend...Story

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shortys homeToday I have the pleasure to share the results of my photo session with the Blancpain Villeret Grande Date Semainier 8 jours, ref 6637-3631-55 with calibre 3738G2 and some additional gentleman gear. The Villeret Grande Date Semainier 8 Jours belongs to the family of Blancpain watches carrying the insignia of their Haute Horlogerie tradition: a white cambered Grand Feu enamel dial, an automatic eight day calibre with beautiful finishing and a reasonably sized rose gold case. At 42mm diameter and 13.4mm height ... ...Story

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amanicoInvited by some friends from Red Bar ( Yes, Adam Craniotes, you were in the conversations, and in good terms, of course! ) we had a nice moment around the Fifty Fathoms, modern and vintage, at the Blancpain Paris Boutique. Among the watches I wanted to see and feel, there was one, which always had a special place in my heart and imagination, the X Fathoms. When I saw the first pictures, I immediately thought it was the Epitome ( the spelling on the title was just for fun and provocation ) of the Fifty Fathoms. .....Story

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shortys homeSince it’s release in 2007 the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Automatique has seen quite a number of variations, we have seen two limited versions with historic roots (Tribute to Fifty Fathoms and Tribute to Aqua Lung), a few white FF (one plain, others with MOP dials), the DLC coated Dark Knight, some in precious metals (polished and brished rose gold and white gold with blue dial), a brushed steel FF with a blue Flinqué dial and last year’s titanium FF with blue dial. The one version I personally expected (and ... ...Story

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shortys homeOn my wishlist for further exploration, a visit to the Vintage Atelier at Blancpain in Le Brassus was very high up... and now I had the chance to meet with the team that takes care of all Blancpain timepieces prior to 1981. And of course I’d like to take you along by sharing my impressions... Located in the old farmhouse in Le Brassus, the heart of the Valleè de Joux, the Vintage Atelier occupies only one room with 4 watchmaker workplaces, but it has the opportunity to reach out to all Blancpain facilities .....Story

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amanicoI got my first Tornek Rayville in 2008, after some years of searches and hunt. You can imagine that the moment was quite intense. A Tornek Rayville! Mine! Finally! A military watch which made and still makes a lot of watch aficionados dream. I owned it for four years, till the day I was given the choice to make a trade between my Nr 103 ( All the TR 900 are numbered, at the exception of a very few, but the question remains to know if these " sterile " were issued or not, and the Number 20.....Story

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shortys home“ Blancpain perpetuates its historical links with Switzerland's oldest watchmaking tradition by making its timepieces at Le Brassus and Le Sentier, respectively a village and a hamlet in the Joux Valley. This region of the Waldensian Jura is imbued with the soul of the watchmaker's art. Clockmaking began here in about 1740, and its workshops are still the source of 90% of the complications of Swiss mechanical watchmaking ” (Blancpain website) Earlier this month I had the opportunity to visit Blancpain in ... ...Story

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