I present to you my BALL Trainmaster Chronograph Pulsometer, which I acquired during the first lockdown. I was interested in the BALL brand after discovering images of the dives of the French freediver Guillaume Nery. He had a wetsuit with the BALL brand on his chest. I didn't know this brand. I discovered an American brand, technical, with a great story...problem! The brand is not marketed in France because of the tritium tubes it uses on almost all of its models. They have to be imported. I selected this chronograph with a Pulsometric scale because I was looking for a "Doctor's watch". The dial is a modern iteration of the Pulsometric scale chronographs of the 40s and 50s. This chronograph features a very well-adjusted Valjoux 7750, decorated by the BALL brand. The steel bracelet is very high quality, with its invisible double butterfly buckle. The crown is screwed down. The watch as a whole exudes quality. The polished-brushed finishes are well executed. Its 40.5mm diameter makes it easily wearable on thin wrists.

BALL Trainmaster Chronographe Pulsometer 

I present to you the SARB 033, which I offered to my son. Watches with the ideal dimensions for his teenage wrist (38mm in diameter, 11mm thick, 44mm from lug to lug). This model of watch, no longer produced, required ordering it as an import on the Japan market. Called "Baby Grand Seiko", this watch has become a "must have" by collectors and its price reflects this today. Its deep black dial, its faceted indexes, its date disc in the same color as the dial, the beveled insert of the date, are very successful. Its case has an alternation of polished surfaces (bezel, sides) and brushed surfaces (lugs). I added a jubilee bracelet from Uncle Seiko. This watch is a good alternative to a Rolex Datejust. It has a very reasonable water resistance of 10 ATM, despite its non-screwed (signed) crown. The 6R15 caliber can be admired through the transparent case back. The dial glass is a flat sapphire.

Seiko SARB033

HKED is a distributor based in Hong Kong. On the site, it is possible to buy "1963" models with increased quality control and TOP finishing. I gave this watch to my son for his 14th birthday. This HKED has a 40mm 1963 case, with an ST 1901 movement, derived from the Swiss Venus 175 mechanical chronograph movement, visible, thanks to the glass, which the case back is provided with. It has a "Swan Neck" setting. The emerald green sunray dial, with the two cream sub-counters is beautiful. The domed glass is made of plexiglass and gives a vintage look to this model. A good chronograph at a very low budget to start a collection!

HKED-Seagull 1963

I present to you an atypical electronic watch, with LED, from the 70s, before the advent of LCD watches. Here, in this case, it is a watch from the brand "Modern Watches", in every way identical to a model from LIP, part of the Mach 2000 collection, designed by the designer of the TGV, Roger Talon. I have not found any information on the collaboration between Modern Watches and LIP. Perhaps an operating license to market this new type of watch in other countries? This model must have revolutionized the watch market in the early 70s, and been considered a futuristic watch. The LCD very quickly replaced this LED technology because the latter was too energy-intensive and the battery was empty in a few months. To see the time appear on the dial, you must press the button on the right, at the top of the case. This watch stands out from mechanical watches by its precision in keeping time, because it is a technology that uses quartz. The battery is lithium. The design of the square case, in brushed steel, is very modern. This watch is part of the watchmaking revolution of the early 70s, in search of conquering the precision of time thanks to new technologies. It is a watch of Designer and engineers. An endearing and "emotional" watch for all these reasons.

Modern Watches-LIP Mach 2000 design de Roger Talon 

I present to you a Seiko chronograph that is not very common in France. It is an Ananta model (which means infinity in Sanskrit), reference SRQ003. It is an automatic mechanical chronograph, equipped with the 8R28 movement. This model is part of the first Ananta collection of 2009, unveiled at Baselworld in 2010. Seiko designers had "carte blanche" to imagine a high-end Seiko collection, for the first time, offered to the world market. The designers were inspired, for the cases of this collection, and therefore the case of this chronograph, by the Japanese "Katanas" sabers of the Samurai. The sides of the case are sculpted, with a double curvature that evokes the Katana. The level of requirement of the finishes, the dial, the polishing of the case, the bezel, the crown and the chronograph pushers, is very high. The zaratsu "mirror" polish of the sides is exceptional!! 🤩. The watch is massive, thick, and yet, I who like a relative content of the dimensions of my watches, I love this Seiko with its radical, uncompromising, inspired design. It combines everything I like in watchmaking: original style, watchmaking know-how, high technology... I never tire of looking at all the details of this watch.

Seiko Ananta Chronograph "Katana"

I present to you my Eterna Kontiki date, which I like to call Eterna Kontiki "Raroia Atoll" which is the atoll where the raft "Kontiki" ran aground, made of balsa by the explorer, Thor Heyerdahl, in 1947. The crew of the raft wore Eterna watches. Following this expedition, the Eterna brand named its sports watch model Eterna Kontiki. My model is from 2012. The topography of the Raroia atoll is materialized, on the slightly cream white dial, by an engraving process. The indexes and hands are blued. On the case back is represented in relief the Kontiki raft. The steel bracelet is fully brushed, very comfortable. The folding clasp is signed Eterna. Water-resistant to 200m, this watch is a perfect alternative to an Omega Aqua terra.

Eterna Kontiki "Raroia"

Since the release of the Limited Edition Chronograph with Enamel dial, black Arabic numerals with the red "12" at noon, in 2017, paying homage to the first wristwatch from Seikosha (the name of the manufacturer at the time), the Laurel, I have been interested in this chronograph. Then this version, black Roman numerals, was released 2 years later, still with the 8R48 chronograph movement featuring a column wheel and a vertical clutch. The Enamel dials are still subcontracted by an independent enameler, Mitsuru Yokosawa. The manufacture of such dials (3 raised sub-dials 😳), requires a know-how that has become rare. The work is artisanal, done by hand and therefore reserved for small series. Mitsuri Yokosawa says she can only make 200 per month. Since I acquired this model, I have had a hard time wearing another one. This synthesis between traditional watchmaking, recalled by the Email dial, with this typography, which was present on almost all pocket watches, clocks, etc ... especially throughout the 19th century, and the modernity of the case, its technicality (movement), makes this watch very interesting and endearing. In addition, today, Seiko no longer produces an Email dial chronograph, which makes this model a fairly rare watch.

Seiko Presage Chronograph Enamel Dial

A watch I acquired a few years ago, among the first G-SHOCK in steel. Dual display analog and liquid crystal, with many features, world time, alarm, date, chronograph, countdown... watch that I gave to my father about ten years ago. It's his tool watch. It still works perfectly. It reminds me of the Speedmaster X1 model from OMEGA.

Casio G-SHOCK Cockpit 

I present to you a vintage watch from the 70s. An ARS Super Automatic! A French brand (I haven't found any information on this brand), as there were dozens at that time (before the quartz crisis! 😱 ). Rectangular watch (40×28), 11mm thick. "Sport-chic" watch, with a sunray blue dial that "matches" well with the bright orange rocket-shaped seconds hand, typical of that time. The indexes are applied and faceted. The day (white on a red background! 😳) and the date (black on a white background) are placed in superposition at 6 o'clock. The case is brushed on the front, the chamfers and sides of the case are mirror polished. The watch easily goes under a shirt. Fun watch without being extravagant, it is easy to wear in all circumstances.

ARS Super Automatic 

I present to you a diving watch from the HOSAM SQUALE MEDIUM brand. The HOGA company was founded in the Swiss Jura in 1912. This company registered the HOSAM brand in 1955. HOSAM is best known for developing diving watches, particularly in collaboration with Squale, which specializes in the manufacture of super-waterproof cases. Here, the case is water-resistant to 300m, while the watch is 35mm in diameter and 13mm thick, hence the name "MEDIUM" on the dial. In addition to the pretty black dial that is slightly bronzed in the sun, the "eggshell" indexes, the "lolipop" seconds hand, its circled date at 3 o'clock, its oversized screw-down crown, its contained case making it very comfortable, its most remarkable element is its dark gray bakelite bezel at the top, and light gray at the bottom incorporating a tritium triangle at 12:00. A perfect dive watch for small wrists.

HOSAM SHARK MEDIUM

I present to you my RADO DiaStar Anatom, a model released in 1984. The RADOs of that era inspire me Roland-Garros, with, on the fir green decors on an ochre clay court background, the RADO brand, in the firmament. Official sponsor and timekeeper of the Grand Slam tournament at the Porte d'Auteuil. It inspires me the unique atmosphere of the central court, with the silences of the crowd, respecting the players on serve, Mc Enroe, Connors, Noah (and Gabriela Sabatini 😍) alternating with the ball strikes and the codified applause of the spectators. This Anatom also inspires me the Honda Prelude and Civic CRX of that era (both released in 1983). A sporty-chic watch, small format, rectangular dial, at the top of the avant-garde of watchmaking technologies of the time (ceramic insert, Swiss quartz, ultra-thin case, domed sapphire crystal, which covers the entire dial, integrated bracelet... a watch that could be in the list of iconic sporty-chic watches, Royal Oak, Nautilus, and others. A watch that obviously fits perfectly under the sleeve of a shirt, beautiful, elegant, unique... I really like wearing it!,

RADO DiaStar Anatom, Roland Garros and Honda Youngtimer 

After the Tidal Wave of the first days, even the first months, the kilometers of queues in front of the "Swatch Stores" (there are still queues at the time of the publication of this review in front of them, which is crazy!), the sit-ins, the campings, the scuffles... I went to the Swatch Store in the Louvres one morning in August 2022. 2 people were waiting in front of the store... the security guard brought the list of models available that day... Surprise, the "Mars" was scribbled there. The first two people disappointed with the list revealed leave... so I am the first to enter the store. I can try the models available that day. I had already decided... I take the "Mars"! The watch is ultra comfortable. I change its white "NASA" strap for a gray strap from my AKRONE K02... Nickel! It fits it perfectly! The watch is light. Looking at it, you really feel like you have one of all the versions of the OMEGA Speedmaster! In short, it's very cool! This version is deliberately a tribute to the Speedmaster ALASKA PROJECT I, II, III, and IV from 1972 to 1979 and the Speedmaster ALASKA PROJECT reissue from 2008 (see photos). The hands of the sub-counters of the said model are taken from the "Mars", as well as the red second hand, the white dial. Finally, the red color of the case recalls the aluminum heat shield in which the watch was protected from extreme temperatures.

Omega×Swatch "Mars"×Alaska Project

I present to you my Seiko Tuna Professional 200m, model from the early 80s, equipped with the 7C43 quartz caliber, identical, just a slightly smaller diameter, to the famous 7C46 caliber that equips the majority of quartz Tuna Professionals. The only Tuna with a diameter of 42mm, protective ring, here in this case in plastic, therefore more easily wearable on a daily basis than its "big sisters" Tuna in 47, 49, 50, 52mm 😱. A youngtimer, which has the "Professional" mention, the legendary caliber of the Tuna, while being easily wearable. Everything I was looking for, even if I will be tempted in the future by a Tuna with the ceramic alloy ring (a Darth Tuna in particular). An easy-to-wear Toolwatch from a family of diving watches with an incredible history!

Seiko Tuna Professional 200m 7C43-603L calibre quartz 

I present to you my Swatch Irony size 38mm in diameter with a black unidirectional bezel and an Aluminum case. Thus this feature allows the horns not to break like on the plastic Swatch models. My model is sober, silver dial, black diving bezel, large black Arabic numerals in indexes. This watch is very versatile, extremely comfortable, light (Aluminum case 👍), thin, precise, modern ... with its Swatch Swiss inscription in green and its Mercedes hour hand, it looks like a Rolex GMT Master II 🤭🤔😉). It can be worn in all circumstances. Its small flaw: limited water resistance (depth not mentioned), where its cousin, the Swatch Scuba (it, in plastic) had a mention "water resistant 200m.

Swatch Irony Aluminum unidirectional bezel

I present to you my first mechanical watch that was given to me when I was 13 by my grandfather. It comes from East Berlin, a few months after the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989. It was on a military surplus market that the watch was purchased. It is a real Tank, both the case and the movement. It is an automatic watch, with a screw-down crown, a rotating steel bezel, bi-directional. There are tritium dots on the indexes. It still works after all these years. A watch of all-proof robustness for a ridiculous price. An endearing watch to have in a collection, especially of diving watches.

Vostok Amphibia 50th Anniversary

RADO Diastar Diver's 300m. Watch with a very Seventees design, oblong bezel in Tungsten Carbide resistant to 2600 vickers, rotating internal bezel, screw-down crowns. The anchor of the dial turns. It has a steel bracelet, polished on the sides brushed in the center. 2 seahorses engraved on the back.

Rado & LandArt

I present to you my Seiko Turtle PADI Air Diver's 200m Special Edition, whose bezel I changed to put a black ceramic insert graduated at 12 o'clock, with luminescent numerals. Diving watch, meeting the ISO 6425 standard, designed in partnership with PADI, makes it a real toolwatch

A "diver" fashioned in the mountains

An endearing watch because it is both technical and beautiful. Technical, due to its crown at 12:00, its helium valve, its depth given at 500 meters. Beautiful, due to its dial, here sunburst gray, the finesse of its case, its contained size (40mm), its finishes (polished-brushed alternations) without making it "bling-bling". The quality and comfort of its bracelet. Finally, it is a watch created by two enthusiasts (Jean-Sébastien Costes, Philippe Friedmann), Mr. Costes, owner of a Triton Spirotechnique from the 60s, wanted to reissue a "modern" Triton inspired by the original model. This Triton has a "short but very beautiful" history, a phrase taken from Mr. Costes during an interview. Indeed, this watch equipped the divers of the French Navy as an endowment watch in the 60s.

Technical watch that characterizes its aesthetics

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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