A selection of watches and stories that have inspired our writers this month. Check out last month's Watches That Caught Our Eye here.
Richard - The Omega Anakin Skywalker
In a galaxy far, far away.... earlier this month I had the opportunity to meet Ankin Skywalker. It's hard to elucidate the level of excitement this prospect generated in me and I had visions of Luke's father in his Jedi Padawn outfit, his "transition" darkside cape and even fully changed into Darth Vader with a red lightsabre.
However the Anakin I was destined to meet was branded Omega and was not in any way connected to Star Wars. Confused? The Ankin Skywalker is a 1970 vintage derivative of the Omega Speedmaster which is presented in a huge octagonal tungsten steel case. Function is otherwise the same as the Moonwatch.
The watch was release seven years before Star Wars ever graced the silver screen and it was much later that Omega guru Chuck Maddox nicknamed a few models after his favourite characters. These names have since become as much legend as the Rebel Alliance. The Seamaster in question was a beautiful example, in mint condition and kindly supplied for review and photography by Watches of Lancashire. I confess I struggled to see how Maddox had reached the Anakin comparison but nevertheless the project allowed me to bring my own lightsabre into the photography studio for possibly the most fun photo session we have had in a while. Look out for the full feature on The Magazine and May the Force be with you.
Anthony - Squale Museum
A new film is out that sheds some fascinating historical context on one of the best-selling brands here at WatchGecko: Squale.
The Italian-Swiss firm was originally founded back in the 1940s by Charles Von Buren: one of the pioneers of Scuba diving whose company originally made cases for the bigger Swiss names (which often happened in the watch industry at the time).
And his story has been a huge inspiration to me this month, because although I knew quite a lot about Squale already and I’ve been to the factory, I didn’t know so much about its fascinating founder – associated with some of the most famous divers in the world, such as Jacques Mayol and Enzo Maiorca (whose life stories formed the basis of Luc Besson’s classic film, The Big Blue).
Van Buren even built the very first diving centre in Switzerland, on the shores of Lake Neuchatel, which was used as a testing laboratory for his Squale watches. And then in later years the company evolved and changed ownership, while always maintaining its original philosophy.
The whole story is recounted from start to finish in the fascinating half-hour film, which is interspersed with interviews featuring Van Buren’s daughter Monique and the current owner Andrea Maggi.
As much a travelogue and a reflection on friendship as a story about watches, this carefully-crafted film allows you to appreciate the heritage of the brand in a way that truly brings the history to life. You don’t even have to be into watches to enjoy it; all you need to do is take in the scenery, story, and personalities. Check it out right here.
Fabian - Petite Seconde Louis Horror x seconde/seconde/
The Petite Seconde Louis Horror x seconde/seconde/ - Image credit Louis Erard.
October has been a month of horror movies for me, and while that has been a fun way to celebrate Halloween it’s nice to see some watchbrands get into the spirit of spooky season. One of these brands is Louis Erard, who has collaborated with seconde/seconde to create a fun halloween-themed watch named the Petite Seconde Louis Horror x seconde/seconde/. The watch is a visual treat, swapping out the seconds hand (as is typical for seconde/seconde) for a pixelated ghost. Continuing the spooky-theme, the ghost glows green in the dark and the ‘Louis Erard’ brand name has been replaced with the word ‘Horror’ appearing to be dripping in blood.
The rest of the watch follows the same design as previous 39mm Petite Seconde models, including a round, polished stainless steel case with a height of 12.25mm and the fir-tree engraved crown. The domed sapphire crystal over is anti-reflective on both sides, and the watch is water-resistant to 50 meters.
The Petite Seconde Louis Horror x seconde/seconde/ - Image credit Louis Erard.
The watch features an open caseback which contains the engraved ‘limited-edition’ number and showcases the automatic Sellita SW261-1 with a stop-seconds function. The watch has just been released and is limited to 178 pieces for the price of CHF 1,975.
