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A Watch that is Stylish and Sustainable!

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The watch brand that I have in focus is the WoodWatch that is intent on making a difference to global deforestation or urbanisation by planting a tree for every WoodWatch sold. This brand is relatively young, having launched in 2013 by three friends (Read their story here: https://www.woodwatch.com/en/service/our-story/ ) and the design concept is based on their travel experiences, hence why their tagline is ‘Explore to Create’. This brand is based in Rotterdam and does feature the natural aesthetics of Netherlands. I received the model Reveler Kosso as a gift and this is one that I am going to share my experience about. Obviously, the main material used is wood integrated with some stainless-steel parts. This particular watch is made using Kosso wood which is from Eastern Africa, and it has deep brown, light red as well as gold tones which gives the wood a natural glow. The dial is 45mm which is on the larger side, but due to the lightness of the wood as well as the design, it sits w
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An Everyday Watch for Everyone - MEDINI Sovereign

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One of my first rules when I come across a watch brand is to check the website, and so I did that when I crossed paths with MEDINI on Instagram. To be honest, I wasn't expecting much, but I was surprised with the detailed, easy-to-use and interactive setup which is a good sign for a watch company, especially, in today's digital world. What really impressed me was the simple, but important feature of being able to choose the dial colour, strap and watch case (Yes, you read that right, you can select the colour of the travel pouch you want, very handy pouch at that!) So couple of weeks down the line, I get a message from MEDINI, specifically Ahsan (the man behind this brand and company, his story is a topic for another day) who wanted me to review the model - Sovereign And I am glad that I took the opportunity to review this piece, because as I checked it closely, I could relate how the creation of the watch was in line with the passion shown by Ahsan. While some may not give muc
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Location: Dubai - United Arab Emirates
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Citizen's Black Panther is Here!

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Having lived most of my childhood in Africa, I have always had a fascination with connecting what I do, read, bought and experience with Africa. So when it came to my favourite action hero characters, I had two - Black Panther and Phantom (For the uninitiated, it is comic book character created by Lee Falk; check it out, worth a read even now). Obviously, this was something I was looking in watches as well and you can imagine my joy when Audemars Piguet released the Black Panther Flying Tourbillon in April 2021 to much fanfare, but limited to 250 pieces. Reference: AP Website (https://www.audemarspiguet.com/com/en/watch/apxmarvel.html) In any case, the limited edition factor didn't matter as this was way above my price-point and hence, I started to look for an alternative, something that was budget-friendly, but provided much value for the buck. Invicta had released a few and so did Citizen, but they were not to my taste. Finally, Citizen in July 2022 released an Eco-Drive Super Ti
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Location: Dubai - United Arab Emirates
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An Entry-Level Luxury Dive Watch – The Hydroconquest by Longines

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When I first set eyes on it on a random reseller website, the part of the timepiece that spoke to me most was the dial – The Sunray Blue Dial which looked great in pictures, but it was something else when I first held it and saw it live. The blue dial was reflective and had different shades of blue under different levels of lighting. You can see what I am talking about in the picture, just look at the variations of blue on the dial and coupled with the sweeping red arrow of the second hand, it’s a gorgeous dial. Everything about the dial works for me with the elevated indices, sword-shaped hands and the Super LumiNova. This is the Longines Hydroconquest L37424966 blue variation with the automatic (Self-winding mechanical movement) calibre L888 that was exclusively built for Longines by ETA. The movement provides a power reserve of 72 hours which is quite good, even though there are watches that offer days’ worth of power reserve. This piece came with a stainless strap which I swapped
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Location: Dubai - United Arab Emirates
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The Everyday Watch by Tag Heuer

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The  story  of Tag Heuer  Watches   is  like John Cena in the wrestling world (For the uninitiated, John Cena   is an actor who is also an accomplished  wrestle r ) ,  where he was one of the most polarized characters  with an equal share of people who loved and hated him – The same goes  for Tag Heuer.   With me, I am one of those who loves Tag Heuer watches and it’s a watch brand that I had my eyes on since I was a kid. I first came across the brand in some of the sports magazines that I used read as a kid, and it was heavily featured in both racing and football (or referred to as soccer in some parts of the world). This did make the company a household name and really raised it’s profile over the years with some strategic partnerships – Tag Heuer had partnerships with F1 World Championships, McLaren Racing Team, and currently with the Red Bull Racing Team, in addition to being associated with some of the football leagues across the globe such as La Liga, Bundesliga, Ligue 1 among ot
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Location: Dubai - United Arab Emirates
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XLite Series – A light one from Swatch

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Recently, Swatch has been the most talked-about watch brand in the industry, primarily due to their launch of the MoonSwatch (pictured below). It was quite popular at the recently concluded ‘Watch and Wonders 2022’ even though it wasn’t exhibited.                                                      (MoonSwatch: Mission to Mercury. Ref: Swatch.com) This model has disrupted the watch-market and from my perspective, for the better-good. It has given the opportunity for many to experience the Omega Moonwatch at a much lower price, albeit, there are stark differences between the watches in terms of movement as well as finishing quality, however, it’s a boon to those who collect watches but cannot afford the higher-end models. I will look to review the MoonSwatch when I get my hands on one (The stores in Dubai run out in the first of couple hours upon restocking). Swatch Group has a rich history and is the one who pulled the Swiss watch industry out of the water during the ‘Quartz Crisis’ w
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Location: Dubai - United Arab Emirates
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Kick-start your collection with this watch

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  I have always had watches, but recently became more serious about starting a collection. My intention was to start my collection with a mechanical watch, however, I was on a limited budget; so I started looking around, did a bit of research, and finally zeroed on the Seiko SNK809. This Seiko model is very popular among many watch enthusiasts and recommended as a starter for your watch collection. When I first opened the box, the dial felt small, but once it was on my wrist, it fitted well and looked good. As you can see, I went for the black one, but it does come in other exciting colours – Beige (SNK803), Green (SNK805), and Blue (SNK807). The beige is a good option if you are not into black. The watch comes around AED 350 – 390 ($95 - $106) in UAE, however, you can also find it between $88 - $100 in various online shops. Yes, it can be less than $100 depending on where you buy it from, for example, in the US, you may find it for less than $80, and the piece offers a good value for
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