This MIDO is part of a revival of "sport chic" watches with integrated steel bracelets that revive a style known mainly by a few very high-end references: Nautilus, Aquanuat, Royal Oak, engineer, ... Mido claims however to have included in its catalog such models with cushion shapes in the 70s, according to the design fashionable at the time. To return to this multifort (the name of the "toolwatch" range at Mido), if it irremediably brings to mind a Nautilus, it has its own personality, starting with the large date which takes the place normally dedicated to the 12 o'clock index. An original positioning but which does not pose any difficulty (apart from the 12th of the month, no ambiguity to be expected), especially compared to the practical side of this complication, and to the fact that it is still more noble than a simple date disc. The dial has an original pattern with a very aesthetic gradient from the center to the edges. The case offers a very balanced alternation of brushed and polished, with of course the essential brushed bezel, brushed very finely. The only small criticism that can be made concerns the height of the bezel, which counts for a lot for the thickness of the watch which otherwise easily matches the shape of the case. The movement is the well-known powermatic of the swatch group with its 3hz and its 80 hours of very practical power reserve. The precision is quite satisfactory. The bracelet, in steel, and the folding clasp are very qualitative, especially for the requested budget. And this is the most astonishing point of the watch: its quality/pleasure/price ratio quite astonishing in view of its overall quality and the complication proposed. There is no doubt that it will introduce Mido to new enthusiasts, which was my case, this Swiss brand of the Swatch Group being clearly better known today in Asia than in Europe.

A “sport chic” to discover!

I acquired this Baltic in search of a GMT, a complication that I no longer had in my watch box, which does not require me to call my banker or bribe an AD. After examining many models in this price range (the offer is plentiful!), I finally chose this beautiful Baltic, the first in the Aquascaphe collection equipped with a Swiss movement (Soprod) and, incidentally, the date. This watch is extremely well designed: It is comfortable, equipped with a planisphere on the back to remind you of the time zones and help with setting, even if it is not a "real" GMT offering independent setting of the hour hand. Its case is entirely brushed, except, interestingly, under the notched bezel which turns with just the right amount of resistance. I find that the glossy dial, the finesse of its texts and the domed sapphire crystal are the highlights of the show. They give a real personality to the watch which is intended to be vintage-inspired. The bezel is made of sapphire, and the luminescent numerals are very pleasant in the dark, complementing the luminescence of the Indexes and hands. The crown is marked with a "B" on a grained background, a small detail that confirms the care taken by Baltic in the aesthetics of its model. Finally, the grain of rice bracelet, even if it does not have the aesthetics of an Oyster or a Jubilee for me, is extremely comfortable. I also acquired the Baltic tropic bracelet with pin buckle. Both come with quick-release spring bars that make changing the bracelet a formality, which is very nice (in addition, the case has pierced lugs). In short, I have little to criticize about this Baltic, which I really like to wear and which even allows itself to overshadow my Submariner. At most I can note its weight and thickness, which the shape of the case hides quite well once on the wrist. In terms of the movement, I note a very clear notching of the crown, a great flexibility of the winding, and a precision that does not call for observations. To conclude, I must admit that this is my first watch of a French brand (even if it is less so than a Péquignet caliber royal), and that this Baltic Aquascaphe GMT presents for me an excellent pleasure/quality/price ratio. I had hesitated with a Yéma Superman 500 GMT, the choice having been made only on details.

A very nice balance, if not innovative.

The Poljot Alarm Traveller 5 is part of the brand's multitude of models based on variations of Swiss movements. This model has a mechanical alarm, hence its nickname "poor man's Vulcan" due to its cousinship with the "cricket" models. We can also see a resemblance to the Sinn Financial model in the dial. It remains a model with its own personality, which is based on its three crowns (one for the movement, one to wind the alarm and a last one for the rotation of the inner GMT bezel), its very shiny black lacquered dial and its movement at a frequency that makes the seconds hand run across the dial at the inexhaustible pace of a marathon runner. A model with a typical quality-price ratio for the brand, which offers the possibility of wearing a model that is at once dressed, discreet, elegant and equipped with a very original complication.

Poljot alarm Traveller: The poor man's Vulcan...

Tourby Watches is part of the galaxy of small German watchmakers who offer their different ranges with variable assembly-manufacturing mixes, and of course very different price levels. Tourby is best known across the Rhine and across the Atlantic, but much less so in France. This is a shame because, in addition to the systematic use of high-quality components - generally Swiss made - their range has become very wide at prices that remain acceptable given the level of customization possible. Each watch can indeed be customized by the customer on different aspects, depending on the model (choice of hands, case, movement finish, etc.). Tourby is particularly known in the United States for its pilot watches. My Tourby Argentum was born from the desire to have in my box a marine watch that stands out a little from the classics of Stowa, Dornblüth, etc. The Argentum owes its name to its typically Germanic grained dial. It has beautiful flame-blued hands (Bréguet type for me) and a dial design with extremely fine lettering. The movement is a Unitas 6498 improved by Tourby (specific ¾ plate, increased frequency and power reserve, ...) particularly well decorated. The case is massive (the Unitas 6498 is above all a pocket watch movement) but with specific horns and screwed pumps (with real screws). It is a very present watch, but in my opinion this is inherent to the marine chronometer inspiration. Tourby has since released a 40mm model with a more classic case. The watch comes in an original leather box, with a beautiful handmade strap completed with a signed folding clasp. It is not the watch I wear the most, but it is no less endearing for its originality (it is almost a unique piece) and its strong personality.

Tourby Argentum: A delicious originality

Everything has been written about the Submariner, to make this watch an icon, a reference, a symbol, ... We can attribute so many qualifiers to it, that it constitutes a sort of "must have" for a watch lover. For my part, I have always appreciated this model, to the point that it would probably be the one that would remain if all the others had to leave. It is all the more irrational that within my modest collection, it is not the most beautiful, nor the most precise, nor the most inspiring, nor the most ... But it is a magnificent mechanical piece, with impeccable design and functionality, and worn by so many heroes ... All the magic of Rolex (and the marketing know-how of the brand) in the end, and too bad if I am a victim! I leave aside the comparisons between the Submariner models, which ultimately do not really matter unless you have the different models under your nose ... I do not care, I really like my Sub.

Submariner 114060

This watch is part of the references of the professional range of Rolex, quite high in the family tree finally since it restores the quintessence of what makes this range. This is the 39mm mark II model, with the hands adapted to the size of the dial. I appreciate this model (which, for the record, I exchanged for a Speedmaster) for its "less is more" logic: three hands, excellent visibility, solid reliability, reasonably sized case, what more could you ask for? The universal watch, which can be worn in all circumstances and for all indoor and outdoor activities of daily life, which always gives the right time when you need it. The icing on the cake, my model has a precision worthy of a quartz watch. Once again, what more could you ask for?

Rolex Explorer 214270 mark II

This watch is special in more ways than one. First of all, it is a limited series in homage to Charles Vermot. In Zenith's logic, it is therefore entitled to the blue color of the dial which identifies these specific limited series. It is then part, in my opinion, of the El Primero chronographs with the most sober dials: single color, three sub-counters (including two in relief), a date at six o'clock (I prefer it there than at 4:30) and that's it. No thachymeter scale, no colored and overlapping sub-counters. On the other hand, magnificent reflections, a very balanced case, because relatively thin compared to its 42mm diameter, a small touch of red at the end of the chronograph hand and of course the superb El Primero movement visible through the transparent case back. I really like this sobriety. It is special for a second reason, that of having belonged to Joël Duval, creator of the FAM forum, and of having been offered for sale as part of the auction organized for his Zenith collection of which he was a great French-speaking specialist. Among the hundreds of pieces that he owned, he had the opportunity to say all the good things he thought of this model. I can only agree with him...

Zenith Captain Chronograph homage to Charles Vermot

The Seiko SPB069J1 was produced in 1,500 copies worldwide as the first Seiko with a colored enamel dial (neither white nor black), in this case blue. It was followed by a non-limited edition poetically called SARX053, but which does not have a railway but a graduation to the fifth of a second traditional for Seiko models, even if it is not adapted to the frequency of the 6R15 movement... I really like this "Moonlit Night" not only for its deep blue dial, which reproduces shades of blue on a very broad spectrum depending on the light (and whose effect is not at all the same as a sunray dial), but also its Lyre case and its bezel that I find particularly successful. The only negative point of this dial is the date, which Seiko saw fit to provide the window with a sticker that restores the white frame and is a bit of a stain even if you don't notice it in normal use. The endless seconds hand has a moon-shaped counterweight, gilded on this model, while the transparent case back is also decorated on this limited edition with a crescent moon. Indeed, like any self-respecting Seiko, the inspiration for this model is that of the path of the Moon, which occupies a special place in Japanese culture, on a night sky, with all the nuances of color that enamel restores. It is with this homage in mind that one must admire this piece, by emptying one's mind...

Seiko Presage Limited Edition "Moonlit Night" SPB069J1

The choice to acquire this Glashütte Original was to add a dress watch to my collection, as elegant as it is well finished, and if possible equipped with some original complications. This quest led me to take an interest in the GO brand, which is worth a look as an integrated watch manufacturer (it even makes its own tools) with still a good dose of handwork, with a pricing policy that is very respectful of the customer (the model has almost remained at the same price, reasonable, since its release). The GO Panomatic Lunar offers not only a specific personality, but also a micro-rotor with 24k gold weight, a double swan neck, a moon phase, a large date and a small second... Not bad! Of course it is of a certain thickness, it is even the main criticism made of it, but this particularity betrays its Germanic origin, where we like ¾ plates and the robustness it brings to the movement. In the end, this thickness is not felt at all when worn, to retain only the animation of the dial under the light, between the flame-blued hands, the typically Germanic graining of the dial background, and the circular guilloché of the two main dials. The moon phase, with its blue background, its golden stars and its silver moon, and of a perfect poetry. This watch is divisive because it is original, but ultimately proves to be extremely endearing, an attachment that one then feels for the entire GO manufacture and all the care, not to mention the originality, that it constantly seeks to bring to its range.

A watchmaking experience to recommend...

As a long-time Seiko enthusiast, and having had the opportunity to appreciate the perfection achieved by the Spring Drive movement, I was waiting for the brand to integrate this movement into a more discreet and less massive case than that of the traditional Grand Seiko ranges. My wish was amply fulfilled with the release of the Elegance range, which not only inaugurated a thinner case, but also dressed in subtle curves that give it a less angular aesthetic than the brand's usual models. In addition, Grand Seiko responded to the wish of many fans of the brand by removing the power reserve and date from the dial, systematically present in the Spring Drive models, to allow one to fully contemplate the pattern that adorns it. Simplicity and sobriety in the service of elegance... and a certain logic, since the power reserve, all the more relevant since the movement is hand-wound, is now located on the movement plate and visible when the crown is wound in the morning. The dial background reproduces the surface of a frozen lake, Lake Suwa, whose ice sometimes splits across its entire width to form the "passage of the gods". I literally fell for this Omiwatari, as the combination of this discreet case, this subtly colored dial background and the serene movement of the third hand restores an unequaled class that I have not found on any watch I have encountered before. The quality of the finish is to GS standards, undoubtedly at the highest level as the work on the hands, on the indexes or on the lettering of the dial is remarkable. The domed sapphire crystal, and the play of light that it brings to the dial completes my delight. For the record, I had initially considered buying a Datejust with a fluted blue dial. The incompleteness of this project ultimately allowed me to fall for this GS. I am convinced today that if I had obtained the date just (which was finally offered to me by the AD a few months later), I would have regretted this purchase when I discovered the Omiwatari which in many ways offers much more than a DJ, even without the date...

SBGY007 "Omiwatari", the passage of the gods...

The Cellini range represents Rolex's freedom in terms of design. A brand now a prisoner of its iconic models, whose evolutions year after year are as limited as they excite aficionados and speculators, Rolex has for many decades brought together in the Cellini range different models with very different designs. The only constant is the high-end positioning with the exclusive use of precious materials. As the owner of other models from this brand that I really like, I discovered with this Cellini Date released in 2014 a new way to enjoy wearing a Rolex. Designed by Emmanuel Gueit, the modern Cellini range (since discontinued) seeks to transcribe the history of Rolex in a contemporary watch, without giving in to the ease of cloning a historical model. It thus takes up, in a case that subtly recalls the Oyster cases with its general shape or its discreetly fluted bezel, a movement that is all the more Rolex, specifically designed for the Cellini date but from the brand's classics. The Cellini is therefore a watch as reliable and precise as a Rolex can be, but in a case as legitimately Rolex as that of the Submariner or the Daytona. And since it is a Cellini, it is in white gold and represents a solid block of this precious metal. At Rolex, we do not put lead weights to pretend. Finally, the dial with its sophisticated organization and guilloché, exceeds by the finish of its indexes, its lettering or its hands all that a reference of the professional range can offer. I can tell you, I really appreciate this Cellini Date, with the subtle pleasure of wearing in such a discreet way the top of the range of a prestigious brand. A rare pleasure, as this range has not found its audience, reserved no doubt for those who see in a Rolex watch something other than a symbol or an icon.

Cellini, a range that is too little known

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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