atomic_doug

Yeah, it's pretty good. More importantly, it's incredibly fast and easy. It makes something akin to espresso-strength, so I usually water it down a tad. It's definitely worth picking one up. They're cheap enough. The best cup of coffee I've ever had comes from a vacuum pot like the Bodum Santos, but using it is a pain in the neck.

This is all I use anymore: the Aeropress.

I've been divesting my collection of divers lately. I've just been getting tired of them, I guess. Then Cartier comes out with this bad boy. http://www.watch-insider.com/news/sihh-2014-cartier-calibre-de-cartier-diver/# 42mm (but just 11mm thick) with the in-house 1904MC movement. 300m. SuperLuminova'd dial and bezel pip. Should be a fairly easy rep because the caseback is solid. The bezel is apparently just DLC'd steel, not ceramic or anything. (5500 Euro in steel on rubber for the gen. Not that bad, all things considered.) I want this one bad.

Panerai153, you're spot-on about Bill Yao being slow as molasses. But, it's forgivable since he is so incredibly thorough. I suppose adding more employees would speed things up, but increase cost. Cutting corners would speed things up, but allow mistakes. (Seeing as I've never heard a single complaint about Mk II build quality, I think Bill would like to keep that trend going.) At some point, he is guaranteed to release a Tornek-Rayville model, but at this rate, that will be sometime in 2020. Still though, I'd like to see him expand into some original designs. He's made a nice career of copying old watches whose collector value puts them well out of the reach of the common man. However, a nice homage to a big crown Sub is still just an homage.

I actually think the Jumbo fits your wrist better.

I really do, don't I? OK, time to make the call. How is it that DSN's been making these for years and STILL doesn't know to mirror polish the rehaut or soften the case edges? He's clearly making improvements, why not these?

New Cartier Tank Anglaise rep.

Cartier Tank Anglaise, Medium size, Stainless steel The Cartier Tank is one of the most iconic single watch designs in history. First released in 1917, its Art Deco styling was inspired by the Renault tanks that saw battlefield use during the First World War. Louis Cartier created a watch that was both square and rectangular by incorporating the lugs into the case in what are the model line's signature "brancards" (French for "stretcher"). Over the years, Cartier has tweaked, refined, and just toyed-with the Tank formula, creating dozens of different variants on the theme. At SIHH 2012, Cartier introduced a new Tank: the Tank Anglaise. Like the Tank Américaine and the Tank Française, the Tank Anglaise is named after a country which hosts a significant Cartier boutique. (New York, Paris, London) The Tank Anglaise differentiates itself from its cousins by being flouting the traditional Cartier thinness, being nearly 11mm thick, and by continuing Cartier's obsession with streamlined design by incorporating the crown into one of the brancards, which now resembles a wheel in a battle tank's tracks. Personally, I had always admired Cartier designs and have owned some gens in the past. I always sold them off because they were always too dressy for me. The Anglaise's increased size and heft, though, made casual (or, at least, business casual) wear more possible. I tried this (and the large size version) on at a Cartier boutique and loved it, but wasn't quite in the market for a new watch at Cartier's prices. When I saw this on Toro's site, I had to order it. Hereby follows my review of the replica of the Cartier Tank Anglaise, medium size, in stainless steel. The Case The case is chunky for Cartier and wafer-thin for nearly everyone else. It measures 30mm by 39mm and is less than 11mm thick. The case is a nice mix of highly polished and brushed surfaces and, in this, the rep maker has been very diligent, finishing the area between the lugs as well. The caseback is solid, secured with 8 screws. It is waterproofed via gasket, though Cartier has never been well-regarded for their water-fastness. The engraving is deep and crisp, with accurate markings. The sapphire crystal is clear and free of AR, as per gen. The unique crown is probably the most talked-about feature of the Tank Anglaise. It's a two piece crown. For lack of better terms, I will refer to them as the "rim" and the "hub". When the hub is in the standard "in" position, turning the rim winds the watch. When the hub is pulled out to the first or second positions, turning the rim does nothing, but turning the hub sets the date and time, respectively. However, actually using the crown is another matter. Even the gen feels fiddly since the rim does not extend over the top of the brancard, so winding it can be a chore. The rim is highly polished and slightly dished so that when the hub is pressed all the way in, only the Cartier-signature cabochon extends beyond the brancard. The synthetic spinel cabochon of the hub is nicely faceted is the dark-but-not-too-dark blue of the gen. The Dial The dial on this is excellent. The silvered dial is a mix of opaline and flinqué textures, crisply executed. The traditional Roman numerals and the Tank's chemin de fer chapter ring are on separate opaline rings. The enameled numerals are glossy and ever-so-slightly domed. The Cartier "secret signature" in the VII is clear and legible. The date window aperture is nicely beveled. The hands are traditional blued sword hands. Obviously, there's no lume anywhere on the dial or hands. The Movement The movement in this is an Asian 2671 movement. The gen has a Cartier caliber 077, which is just a Cartier-finished ETA 2671. It is a simple, robust and veteran movement. The plates and rotor are decorated with Geneva stripes, and the rotor is signed Cartier. It keeps excellent time, so far. The Bracelet I will be honest: I do not like Cartiers on bracelets, excluding the go-go 80's Santos. I bought this fully intending to buy a nice Cognac-brown alligator strap for it. (20mm lugs) However, for the sake of the review: the bracelet is very good. It is thin and low-profile for slipping under a fitted shirt cuff. It is 18mm wide and non-tapering, composed of two-piece links, secured via double-head screw bars. It has a simple pressure-fit butterfly clasp which is bead-blasted. Its engravings are deep but, like you see so often, also has "Acier/Au750" (Steel/18 karat gold) engraved on it. I wish someone would tell the rep makers what this actually means because there is no gold to be found anywhere on this piece. Oh, well. The bracelet is completely (and very well) polished and looks quite flashy. Also, because it's completely polished, it will get swirl marks like nothing else. The clasp was very tight and required a little sanding down to open and close with a reasonable amount of effort. The end links fit very well, without gaps or play. How it Wears My beef with previous Tanks I have owned (Tank Louis Cartier, Tank Solo) have always been the stubborn insistence on being completely flat. However thin the watch was, the perfect flatness made it uncomfortable. This case is curved and is far more comfortable. It is only 39mm by 30mm, but before you think that it is a small watch, it is not. It wears considerably larger because of its square shape. In my opinion, the larger Tank MC and large-size Tank Anglaise are too large and look slightly ostentatious on me. However, I have a small wrist (6.5") and will admit that the larger size Tanks are probably suited for gentlemen (or ladies) with...ahem...girthier wrists. Since the watch is made of steel and is not dress-watch thin, wearing it with a polo or even a nice t-shirt in a more casual setting doesn't look as odd as wearing a traditional Tank does. However, I don't know that I would consider this a full-on dress watch in the same way as the traditional Tank is, because of its larger size and thicker profile. (Here's a comparison between it and the IWC Pilot Mk. XVI, which is considered a reasonably thin watch.) Since it's steel and not gold, it is a great "stealth wealth" watch. If you're not the kind of person who wears a lot of gold for whatever reason, This does not necessarily seem gaudy. Rather, it's the sort of watch where someone asks you the time or to just see your watch and you get a "Geez. That's a Cartier!" I feel obligated to wear a clean shirt and good shoes when I'm wearing the Tank. Final Thoughts This is a piece I'd been anticipating for a long time and the rep does not disappoint. For people who've been longing for a good Cartier Tank rep, this is it. Its accuracy with respect to the gen is spot-on and a lot of work went into this. Cartier may not be known as paragons of haute horologie, but they are definitely known for their flawless finishing, so this rep had a tall order to fill, and I believe it did. Toro was, as always, excellent to deal with. Completely painless and very fast. Full rose gold or yellow gold and two-tone versions are available through all TDs. As is typical for Cartier, they can (and will) make a piece in all combination of all possible metals; nor have they ever met a watch they won't ice out with pavé precious stones. The larger size Tank Anglaise rep looks similar from the front, but unfortunately has a open caseback and a new in-house movement, so it will never be as accurate as the medium size rep. Thanks for reading this if you made it all the way through. This turned out to be longer than I thought it would be. Sorry for the picture quality. tl;dr Synopsis + A truly great Tank rep + Solid movement + Beautiful dial - Bracelet is a swirly magnet with too-tight clasp - Crown design is incredibly fiddly - Large size rep has an open caseback and inaccurate movement

Well, since I don't think W0lf is still making cases, it's pretty much as good as it's going to get, right?

That's good to know. The Pre-V Logo has been my interminable project. I'm pathologically incapable of being happy with it. Here's my case re-shape. I tried to get the "continuous arc" look from the lugs across the case and grind down the ends to make them stubbier. I can't decide if it's worth doing a new case now. But it does Look like crap to me now. Build specs: DSN old case, Jakob case back, ETA 6497-1, FGD dial, Unknown hands, DSN crown, DSN crown guard What it needs, besides a new case: Some better hands, Marlin's upcoming Unitas bridges, an H1 canon pinion. (When it's done, I will treat myself to a Mario Paci shark skin strap)

DSN's new pre-V case apparently has shorter, thicker lugs. The rehaut still needs to be mirror polished and it looks like the case shoulders are still a little too sharp, but thos are easy changes. Do the lugs look better, though?

"for now" is right. Remember, though, this whole piece is really nothing special in terms of the construction save for the domed sapphire bezel. The reason rep makers prefer to make complex, expensive pieces is because they, themselves, get ripped off unless they can manage something they can control reasonably exclusively (like the ROO seconds@12 movement). This is why you never see highly desirable, yet relatively simple, pieces like the Patek Golden Ellipse get the rep treatment: the first maker buys a gen, destroys it in the process of repping it, spending tens of thousands of dollars. If it sells well, then another maker will buy the first maker's rep for a couple hundred bucks and start shortly cranking out his own versions without the significant initial investment. The end result is that the first maker has to completely recoup his initial investment within that short window where he is the only maker of a given rep. If this Fifty Fathoms is a homer (and no doubt it will be) then, like the APROO Diver, there will soon be a couple of different makers and a half dozen different versions.

beautiful LIP dial, LHOOQ. One of my favorites. FYI, the talk on RG now is that the new FF rep will be $800. Eight hundred US Dollars.... I think the Noob factory has finally started buying into their own hype.

I like those Cronografo's much better than the Radiomir 1940 Chronographs. I think Panerai's going a little overboard with the faux patina thing. It's starting to look a little silly.

Nice. This is the one for me: Little known story about the Blancpain Aqua Lung. Back when Fifty Fathoms were being made, they were considered actual dive tools, not just dive watches. (Even by today's standards, they are extremely prominent on the wrist) They weren't sold at watch retailers, they were sold at dive equipment shops and Blancpain would frequently re-badge the watch to the name of the store selling it. (like the Barakuda or Michanny versions). These stores also often had some input on the design itself. Aqua Lung was the name of the shop that Jacques-Yves Cousteau ran. (Rather, it was La Spirotechnique, but later changed to Aqua Lung after their most well-known product, the Aqua-Lung regulator) It was only later after "aqualung" became a genericized trademark that Blancpain seized upon it as a variant of the Fifty Fathoms when originally, it was just a plain ol' Fifty Fathoms sold by Aqua Lung.