Replica watches.

The term often induces a sense of confusion upon hearing. What makes replica watches different from the knock-off watches we often encounter?

Let us try to clear things up.

By definition, the word replica means “a copy made by the person, or someone authorized by the original creator, who made the original.” These days, the word replica simply refers to a copy of something, with no real concern exerted on whom originally made it.

The Difference Engine (often noted to be the world’s first computer) No. 2 on display at the Science Museum in London would be a good example of a replica. Designed by Charles Babbage, the replica of the Difference Engine was molded from original design templates. Allan Bromley handled the creation of the replica.

These days, replicas aren’t exactly built on this philosophy, and have been used for illegal gain, in the form of fakes, counterfeits and forgeries.

In the realm of watches, replica watches are basically imitations of prestigious watch brands. Jewelry shops, trade centers, on-line shops, and the like have aided in the sale of replica watches, which are mostly made in China.

When talking about luxury watches, the name Rado comes into mind of many wealthy people. Rado is a company in Lengnau, Switzerland that produces luxury watches

Rado was first established in 1917. During this time and thirty years thereafter, Rado was content in producing watch movements only. However, in 1957, Rado launched its first product line of watches. In 1962, the company made a breakthrough by launching the Rado Diastar watch.

This particular Rado watch was noted for being the world’s first scratch proof watch. Since then, the Diastar has been in production until now. The company has a short history compared to other brands.

However, Rado quickly gained prestige and claimed high end status even if the company hasn’t been in the industry very long. Rado became part of the Swatch group in 1983.

Rado watches have the distinction for heavy use of scratch proof materials. For example, many Rado watches use high tech diamonds, ceramics, lanthanum and sapphire crystals. Many, however, are manufactured using standard materials such as gold and steel.

Rado watches are also noted for their unique look. Most Rado watches look futuristic. That is because the company is very adventurous in the design and concept of their watches.

There is such a thing. There are popular watches, and there are not-so popular watches. How this categorization is gauged is relative, of course, to one’s criteria of popularity. Total sales in a month, personal testimony, or watch infamy, these markers do affect the popularity status of a watch.

For this particular Who’s Who in Watch Land, let’s not limit ourselves to sales figures or what celebrities/important persons have to say.

Let’s let history “explain” to us who she sees as her two most popular watches are, and understand just how and why the brands Rolex or Omega stand to be among the most popular watches in the world. One has been up, the other, down.

The First Waterproof Watch

In 1931 Rolex came out with its first self-winding watch. Years after this, the first fully waterproof watch came out. Hans Wilsdorf, founder of Rolex SA (as it is known now), went as far as the bottom of the Mariana Trench to show just how Rolex had mastered waterproofing a watch.

The Trieste Bathyscaphe (the submersible that went to the bottom of the trench) was fitted (on its side) with a specially made Rolex watch. The watch worked perfectly, and was precise even at a depth of 11,000 meters.

Omega watches have been to places.

Edwin ‘Buzz’ Aldrin wore an Omega watch during his trip to the moon. It was the Omega Speedmaster Professional Chronograph.

Omega watches have stood as time keepers for the Olympics since 1932.

James Bond (as portrayed by actor Pierce Brosnan since 1995 and actor Daniel Craig in 2006’s Casino Royale) wore/wears an Omega watch too. The Seamaster, from one particular model-type to another has been part of 007’s professional wardrobe.

Indeed, to say Omega watches have been around would be an understatement.

Founded in 1848 (in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland), Louis Brandt (who was 23 years old by that time) assembled key-wound pocket watches, and travelled all over Europe selling them (particularly from Italy to Scandinavia).

By 1879 Louis-Paul and Cesar, Louis Brandt’s sons kept the legacy their father had paved and improved on it, opting for an in-house manufacturing and total production control system, rather than the assembly system adapted by their father. By 1894 the world would come to know the Omega calibre in Omega watches.

Yeah, even something so trite as watches does have its jargon.

Such as when you refer to movement in watches; movements of watches basically means the assembly of the watch –the clockwork –that consist the entire and all forms of the apparatus.

These include the mechanical motor of analog watches and the electrical apparatus such as the electrical counters of digital watches.

Movements of watches also consist of the counters, switching devices, bells, and all those devices that are responsible for the time division, e.g. the mechanical apparatus than ran the second hand function and the minute hand and the hour hand.

Though a few could be different, the basic parts of the movements of watches have the motor. In mechanical units, this is the coiled mainspring seen inside the barrel plus the transmission and ratchet wheels.

Mechanical movements of watches are apparent and visible on high-end automatic mechanical watch, like some watch designs of Blancpain, as some watch manufacturers make it a certain pride to show the complex movements inside.

Wearers of these watches could see the train of wheels riveted to their pinions as the movements of watches transmits the power that maintains the oscillations escapement of the escapement (balance wheel and pallet fork) and the regulating organ.

Founded in 1881, Movado has become an integral part of the tableau that is the world’s art history, not just limited to the world of watches.

Achille Ditesheim, a then 19-year old entrepreneur, had big dreams when he founded Movado Watches in the village of La Chaux-de-Fonds in Switzerland.

Since then, Movado has garnered and lived by a legacy of innovative designs, earning the brand over 200 international awards for time technology innovations and in watch design.

The “biggest” of all Movado watches there is would be the Museum Watch, as it has been regarded to be an icon of Modernism, it being the first among watches to be awarded a permanent collection in the Museum Of Modern Art in New York (awarded in 1960).

Designed by Nathan George Horwitt (a Bauhaus influenced artist) in 1947, this particular Movado watch design has become a “signature look” for Movado watches, giving it, as well as Movado watches as a whole, a legendary status among its watch-brand peers.

A simple dot where the 12 should be (with everything else blank) defines this elegantly simple design. The dot signifies the sun at high noon, as how ancient sun dials did.

Military wrist watches.

There is just something about a watch that is used to coordinate air strikes, or hostage rescue scenarios, or estimate ETA figures. It just screams out quality, durability and functionality, enough to make anyone, with such demands from a watch, fall in love with military wrist watches.

Designed to survive in a battlefield, military wrist watches boast features useful during combat situations, which could be of use in non-combat scenarios (hiking trips, camping excursions, mountain climbing, etc).

They are durable (quite understandably), function effective, as well as good to look at, form factor-wise.

Stowa, a brand of watches boasting military wrist watches as part of their production lines, has become a standard bearer in the making of military wrist watches.

The brand is also a “household name” among divers, considering that Stowa has been responsible for making watches capable of handling depths going beyond 3,300 feet.

The best of Swiss and German engineering has been combined into watches since 1927 with Stowa’s brand of diver’s watches and military wrist watches. As standard bears, producing military wrist watches, Stowa has a lot to say about what is durable, and what is not.

Accuracy and durability are two factors that are bound to make you fall in love with military watches. Designed to withstand extreme conditions, military watches pose a level of technical sophistication no ordinary watch could compare to.

With functions needed to facilitate coordinated attacks, estimate/alert foot soldier distance and time missile strikes/launches, military watches simply stand out as functional watches.

As day/Month option “informers”, precision stop watches/timers, or alarms, military watches perform seamlessly. Regular watches have similar functions in them, but with military watches, accuracy truly plays a major role.

Swiss Army would be the most popular brand of military watches. The finest of military watches coming out from Swiss Army’s production line have been given a mark of authenticity from the Swiss government itself. The only one of its kind in the world.

Swiss Army’s military watches, as durable and functional as they are, hold a price-to-quality status among its watch models. They are also among the most affordable watches of their class.

Stowa, another brand boasting military watches as part of their production lines, is not only known for their military watches, but for their deep sea divers watches as well.

Light powered watches (also labeled as solar powered watches) are basically watches which gain their power from the sun, or any other light source. The term solar powered isn’t exactly correct, given that light powered watches don’t exactly need light produced by the sun to successfully operate.Getting to know how light powered watches operate isn’t exactly that complicated to explain. Its working dynamics can even be explained in one sentence: Light powered watches are no different from any other type of watch, except that they utilize light, as their power source.

Light powered watches gain power from a light source when light enters the watch through the watch’s dial/crystal. The light hits a solar cell positioned under the dial.

Some light powered watches have solar cells as big as the watch’s disk, while some are simple bands of solar cells, positioned under the watch’s dial (light entry point).

As how solar cells operate, once light hits it electrons within the solar cell/solar cells are knocked loose, thus creating electrical current. The current is then stored inside a capacitor or rechargeable battery.

As with most “on-body” products, watches have for men and for ladies line. Both are basically the same, different only with their form factor.

Ladies watches are relatively smaller, and have more fashion design elements put into them, while men’s watches are bigger, and are often more conservative in terms of design, compared to ladies watches.

Among the most popular of ladies’ watches would be Ribbon Watches. Ribbon watches are basically wrist watches only that instead of a traditional metallic or leather strap, ribbon is threaded through a standard face/dial wrist watch.

They have become quite popular (especially to teenagers and young women) to ladies looking to coordinate their wardrobe, as well as add a splash of color into their getups.

Ribbon bands could be easily purchased, and easily be replaced, making this the most fashionably customizable of ladies watches.

Fossil, a leader in watch innovations, is among the most noted watch brand coming up with ribbon ladies watches. Playing with various ribbon fabrics, and ribbon shapes, Fossil has mastered making watches that don’t simply matter for their function factor, but for their form as well.