This Lotus quartz watch should be seen for what it is: a nice little fashion watch. The sub-dials are not very legible but add a designer touch to the whole. The sword hands and the rose gold indexes stand out well on the black dial. The case could have benefited from a little brushing to give a little more relief to the whole.

Small rectangular chrono

This quartz chronograph, with its atypical bracelet, seems indestructible. The crown guard is oversized but does its job well. The overall design gives it an aggressive look. The black dial is rather well decorated. The little extra of this model: the alarm function to be activated by pulling the button located at 8 o'clock.

An aggressive look and a solid impression

This is my first "serious" quartz analog watch from a time when Festina was not yet completely tainted by the doping scandals of its cycling team. Its satin-finished bracelet and case, as well as the light gray of its dial, make it a very discreet watch. A fun little detail: the "Mercedes" hour hand which is missing 2 branches...

Festina 8888, the simple and discreet watch

I was looking for an Open Heart watch without targeting any particular brands, and I came across the Orient Bambino. I immediately fell under its spell: this watch is sober, relatively simple but everything is executed to perfection and for a ridiculous price (- 200€).
The case alternates between brushed and polished, the dauphine hands and the domed glass add a touch of classicism to the whole.
The Orient F6T22 movement offers a power reserve of + 40h and a drift tested at +10s/day.
I find myself wearing it more often than I would have thought… In short, at this price, it would be a shame to miss out!

Affordable elegance

Attracted at first by the basic Khaki Field Mechanical model for its direct lineage with the model issued to GIs during the Vietnam War, I finally turned to the 38mm Auto model.

More refined with its polished bezel and brushed case, its sunburst halo under the hour numerals, its syringe hands and its red tip on the second hand, this watch can be worn in any circumstance. The date window integrates perfectly into the dial without disrupting its organization, unlike the 42mm Auto version or the Mechanical Officer version. It also has the advantage of being water-resistant to 100m.

On the movement side, the H-10 delivers more than 80 hours of power reserve, and a drift of +4s/day (tested flat for 24 hours).

In conclusion, this watch is my "daily" and is likely to remain so for a long time...

Khaki Field Auto 38mm, the refined military watch

Friends with a passion for watches piqued my curiosity and it was through a YouTube video that I discovered the Sea-gull 1963. Since the model was not patented, this watch is produced by many Chinese manufacturers. So I bought the model from Red Star on a famous Chinese sales platform for €133 including tax. At that price, I didn't expect much, but this watch exceeds my expectations. 

Its finishes are certainly simple, but well done: no brushing on the case but a flawless polish, a satin champagne dial, sub-dials painted directly on the dial in a very clean way, magnificent gold indexes, blue and red hands that fit well into the case. 

As for the movement, my ST1901 gives me a little over 48 hours of power reserve, and a drift of +10s/day (test watch placed flat for 24 hours). The chrono is great for monitoring the cooking of pasta.

Finally, I find that a brown leather strap with a bund suits it better than the usual Natos.

A good introduction to the world of watchmaking

Here is my Lotus Freedom Day-Date green dial, 41mm in diameter, a very classy watch that makes a small impact, certainly it is very strongly inspired by a model from a very big brand but I still like it a lot, I recommend it to anyone who wants to treat themselves at a tiny, tiny price

Lotus Freedom Day-Date green dial

La marque Ollech &amp; Wajs a &eacute;t&eacute; cr&eacute;&eacute;e en 1956 par Joseph Ollech et Albert Wajs &agrave; Zurich en Suisse. Albert &eacute;tait charg&eacute; de la conception, de l&rsquo;ing&eacute;nierie et de la fabrication des montres, tandis que Joseph s&rsquo;occupait du marketing et de la vente au d&eacute;tail. Avant de cr&eacute;er leur propre montres sous la marque Ollech &amp; Wajs, ils ont commenc&eacute; leur activit&eacute; en 1954 en fabriquant des bracelets en acier pour d&rsquo;autres marques.
La marque est connue pour avoir distribu&eacute; des montres &agrave; des unit&eacute;s de l&rsquo;arm&eacute;e am&eacute;ricaine pendant la guerre du Vietnam et pour avoir gagn&eacute; sa renomm&eacute;e aupr&egrave;s des plongeurs et pilotes du monde entier.
Apr&egrave;s 12 ans de n&eacute;gociation et apr&egrave;s avoir &eacute;t&eacute; son distributeur pour le march&eacute; fran&ccedil;ais, en 2017, Charles Le Menestrel, un passionn&eacute; d&rsquo;horlogerie, rach&egrave;te la marque. La gamme actuelle comprend des mod&egrave;les comme la Ollech &amp; Wajs P-101 et la <a title="Page Ollech &amp; Wajs P-104" href="https://www.dialicious.com/ollech_&amp;_wajs/p-104">Ollech &amp; Wajs P-104</a>, la <a title="Page Ollech &amp; Wajs C-1000" href="https://www.dialicious.com/ollech_&amp;_wajs/c-1000">Ollech &amp; Wajs C-1000</a>, la <a title="Page Ollech &amp; Wajs Ocean Graph" href="https://www.dialicious.com/ollech_&amp;_wajs/ocean_graph">Ollech &amp; Wajs Ocean Graph</a> et la Ollech &amp; Wajs Navichron.
<h2>Combien co&ucirc;te une montre Ollech &amp; Wajs ?</h2>
Les prix des montres Ollech &amp; Wajs &eacute;voluent et diff&egrave;rent selon les mod&egrave;les. La plupart co&ucirc;tent entre CHF 1,500 et CHF 2,000 selon les mod&egrave;les et les finitions. Comptez CHF 1,456 pour une Ollech &amp; Wajs 350CI et pr&egrave;s de CHF 2,300 pour une Ollech &amp; Wajs Navichron Chronographe. Le march&eacute; de l'occasion est &eacute;galement une opportunit&eacute; &agrave; regarder pour acheter une Ollech &amp; Wajs moins ch&egrave;re. Les mod&egrave;les Vintage notamment les Ollech &amp; Wajs Navichron et&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dialicious.com/ollech_&amp;_wajs/astrochron">Ollech &amp; Wajs Astrochron</a>, sont tr&egrave;s pris&eacute;es des collectionneurs et ils convient de bien se renseigner sur le vendeur avant de franchir le pas de l'acquisition d'une vintage.
Ollech &amp; Wajs est une marque de montres ind&eacute;pendante et produit plusieurs centaines de montres par an, tous mod&egrave;les confondus. Pour choisir une Ollech &amp; Wajs qui vous correspond le mieux,&nbsp;les avis clients Dialicious sont une pr&eacute;cieuse ressource pour &eacute;valuer chacun des diff&eacute;rents mod&egrave;les &agrave; travers l'exp&eacute;rience r&eacute;elle des clients.
Consultez le <a href="https://www.dialicious.com/top/les_meilleures_marques_de_montres_suisses">Classement des meilleures marques de montres suisses</a> dont Ollech &amp; Wajs fait partie.
(Mise &agrave; jour Octobre 2024)

The brand Ollech &amp; Wajs was created in 1956 by Joseph Ollech and Albert Wajs in Zurich, Switzerland. Albert was responsible for the design, engineering and manufacturing of the watches, while Joseph handled marketing and retail sales. Before creating their own watches under the brand Ollech &amp; Wajs, they started their business in 1954 making steel bracelets for other brands.
The brand is known for distributing watches to units of the American army during the Vietnam War and for having earned its reputation among divers and pilots around the world.
After 12 years of negotiations and after having been its distributor for the French market, in 2017, Charles Le Menestrel, a watchmaking enthusiast, bought the brand. The current range includes models like the Ollech &amp; Wajs P-101 and the<a href="https://www.dialicious.com/en/ollech_&amp;_wajs/p-104"> Ollech &amp; Wajs P-104</a>, the<a href="https://www.dialicious.com/en/ollech_&amp;_wajs/c-1000"> Ollech &amp; Wajs C-1000</a>, the<a href="https://www.dialicious.com/en/ollech_&amp;_wajs/ocean_graph"> Ollech &amp; Wajs Ocean Graph</a> and the Ollech &amp; Wajs Navichron.
<h2 dir="ltr">How much does an Ollech &amp; Wajs watch cost?</h2>
The prices of Ollech &amp; Wajs watches change and differ depending on the model. Most cost between CHF 1,500 and CHF 2,000 depending on the models and finishes. Expect to pay CHF 1,456 for an Ollech &amp; Wajs 350CI and close to CHF 2,300 for an Ollech &amp; Wajs Navichron Chronograph. The second-hand market is also an opportunity to look at to buy a cheaper Ollech &amp; Wajs. Vintage models including the Ollech &amp; Wajs Navichron and<a href="https://www.dialicious.com/en/ollech_&amp;_wajs/astrochron"> Ollech &amp; Wajs Astrochron</a>, are very popular with collectors and they should find out about the seller before taking the step of purchasing a vintage one.
Ollech &amp; Wajs is an independent watch brand and produces several hundred watches per year, all models combined. To choose an Ollech &amp; Wajs that best suits you, Dialicious owners' reviews are a valuable resource for evaluating each of the different models through real owner experience.
Consult the<a href="https://preprod.dialicious.com/en/top/the_best_swiss_watch_brands"> Ranking of the best Swiss watch brands</a> of which Ollech &amp; Wajs is part.
(Updated October 2024)

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