Nivada F77 Titanium Meteorite:
Vintage design and modern technology for a perfect alliance.
I tried to photograph this dial as best I could to be able to show as accurately as possible all the reflections it takes in the light; we look at it endlessly.
Grade 5 titanium brings lightness, comfort to wear but also, with its subtle gray tint, a beautiful aesthetic harmony with the dial.
It is also "warmer" than steel, difficult to explain for me, it is my first titanium watch.
The case is very well finished with an alternation of polished and brushed, special mention for the well-aligned screws.
I have a large wrist (19.5 cm before the red wine) and I find that this 37 mm sits rather well, according to my tastes of course.
Negative point, because you always need some to improve: there is a small space between the case and the beginning of the bracelet.
In conclusion, for me it is the best watch with an integrated bracelet in its price category, unique with this tapered/striated dial specific to the meteorite that I never tire of.

Titanium/meteorite alliance

Marathon supplies watches to various military corps and it is in this context that the Navigator was developed in collaboration with Kelly Air Force Base in 1986.
Mine is an allocation for the US NAVY of June 2004, "full set" as some like to say, with the date engraved on the case back.
It is a quartz watch with an asymmetrical composite case, matte finish, bidirectional bezel, fixed horn, 6 ATM.
All the charm comes, in my opinion, from the luminescent tritium gas tubes on the indexes and hands.
Negative point, it always needs some: I would have preferred a steel case and not plastic, uh composite.
In the end, a rather divisive watch for a tool that respects military specifications, at a very reasonable price.



Marathon Navigator Prize Pool

A watch that embodies both timeless elegance and practical functionality, sporting a vintage design inspired by iconic aviator watches of the past. 

The red/burgundy dial plays perfectly with the light, while the distinctively styled Arabic numerals and the railway are enhanced by cathedral hands and the "date pointer". 
Finally, a well-integrated date on a watch! 

The 40 mm case, the fluted bezel (repeated around the case back), the screwed "large crown" and a thickness of 12 mm with a domed glass make it a watch balanced between presence on the wrist and wearability. Here on a cork strap, I also wear it on its original leather, a "vintage" tropic or even a Milanese mesh that echoes its bezel. 

For me, it is the almost perfect daily watch.

Oris essential with timeless style

Where to start and how to be concise with this piece? Come on, I'll start.
First of all, I gave myself a few months before writing this review, because I was afraid of being in a "honeymoon" with this watch and not being objective enough. 4 months later I'm still in the clouds.

The proportions of the case (39 mm in diameter for 46.5 mm between lugs and 12.2 mm thick) are perfect, even for big wrists like me (19.5 cm) and the polished and brushed finishes, both circular or linear, especially on the lugs, are done with crazy accuracy.
The large screw-down crown and the wide double bezel (ceramic/steel insert) bring the little muscular side, which this diver needs.
And this crystalline blue, which gives its name to this watch, is magnificent. Sometimes gray, blue or green, it is resolutely modern and retro at the same time or "faded" or even "aged in the sun".
The Broad Arrow hands and the soft iron cage that makes this watch antimagnetic completely contribute to reinforcing the vintage side.
The midnight blue enamel dial is my only downside. Not that it is not beautiful, quite the contrary, it is bright and unique, but for me, it is simply not midnight blue. It is almost black and actually tends towards a deep midnight blue in the sun.
If you are specifically looking for a watch with a blue dial then this is not the one, I think it is important to say that.
I will finish by talking about the 20-16mm woven steel bracelet (it is not really a Milanese mesh for me) with "endlink" for which you have to "get the hang of it" but which is ultra-comfortable and allows a very fine adjustment that is so pleasant. The buckle, it matches the Serica logo (absent from the dial) and does it justice perfectly.

Oh, I almost forgot to say that the Soprod M100 movement is COSC certified and that the accuracy of the watch is rechecked by Serica once assembled. Mine has a drift of 1-2sec over 7 days.

I have to end with the famous quality/price/emotion ratio because having all this for €1,490 is just crazy.
And if you've gotten this far (yes, I tried to be brief) then I ask you the question I ask myself all the time when I wear this watch:
This watch with its finishes, its technical specs and the emotion it conveys would be at what price if it were from another major SwissMade brand? Double? Triple?


Serica 5303-3 COSC: Already a cult?

"Sport-chic" watches with integrated bracelets are all the rage, and Yema released its first version in 2021: the Wristmaster Traveller.

At first glance, the codes are respected: a small octagonal case (39mm), a 3-hand dial with date, and an integrated bracelet, all in steel.

However, upon closer inspection of the watch, we notice all the details and singularities added by Yema. The first positive point that stands out is this bezel with its 6 "notches" glued to the dial, a rarely observed feature, as well as a beautiful vertical brushed effect.
A second positive point lies in the watch's careful finishes, with an alternation of brushed and polished. Above all, we can appreciate a beautiful "chamfer" on almost the entire watch, whether on the bezel, the upper and lower case, and which even extends onto the links of the bracelet. (I hope my photos will do it justice.) 
The dial, lacquered black, is decorated with Superman-style hands, as well as "old radium" indexes, bringing a touch of "vintage" that is also fashionable. 
Also noteworthy is a beautiful luminova, a black date background that is not lacquered but still black. On the other hand, I am not a big fan of the white seconds hand, a little too "simple". 

The watch is equipped with the YEMA2000 caliber (+/- 10 s/day and a power reserve of 42 hours). Everyone will have their own opinion on the "in-house" Yema calibers; personally, I like the idea of offering something other than Miyota or Sellita, and I have not encountered any problems with mine. 

In conclusion, I would say that it is a very good dailywatch that adapts to all situations. I always enjoy wearing it when I take it out of its box.

The sporty-chic watch with integrated bracelet by YEMA

My first automatic watch, which I can only recommend today. When diving into the world of mechanical watchmaking, we are often looking for a piece where we can "see the movement". Usually, we end up with "open heart" watches or "skeleton" models. I was particularly seduced by the "Hourglass" shaped opening which is very original.
Lip is also a historic French brand, famous for its iconic models such as the T18 Churchill, the Nautic Ski, the Himalaya, and many others. In my opinion, this further reinforces the idea of "introduction to watchmaking".

We therefore end up with a beautiful gray dial, openworked with an hourglass that reveals the movement and the inscriptions are at 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock. The silver indexes and numbers nicely echo the visible movement, as well as this polished and domed bezel which integrates perfectly with the also domed glass.

A small downside for me concerns the "luminescent" hour/minute hands, which do not seem to add much to this watch that does not have luminescent indexes. I would have preferred silver hands, like the second hand, which I find successful with its red tip. And why not a ridge to echo the indexes which, themselves, give relief to the dial. 
Relief? Perfect for a watch with the Himalaya logo. 

The steel case is rather successful and well crafted, with an open case back that is in line with the openwork dial. Special mention also for the horns, which are also well finished. 

The movement is a Miyota Series 8 (8N26) which does not shine with its finishes or precision, but which still allows you to discover the workings and functioning of a mechanical movement, while maintaining an accessible price at €430 today. 

In conclusion, I would say that it is a very good quality/price ratio considering the history of the watch/brand and its finishes. In my opinion, it remains a beautiful gateway into the world of mechanical watches.



LIP Himalaya Sablier, a gateway to watchmaking?

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&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dialicious.com/en/ollech_&amp;_wajs/p-104">Ollech &amp; Wajs P-104</a>, the&nbsp;<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&nbsp;<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&nbsp;<a href="https://www.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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