At its best, masterful design results in the creation of timeless, iconic style. This is seen clearly in some of the most beautiful classic timepieces that we know and love today. Think of the Rolex milsub, Omega Speedmaster, Blancpain Fifty Fathoms etc.
Sometimes a watch comes along that at first glance is baffling. Hands aren’t where you expect them to be, indexes are broken or displayed in bizarre ways, there are things moving about that you just have never seen before. Well, I love watches like that; watches that are the mix of genius, creativity and a dose of fun.
Once upon a time, there were many American watch brands, like Elgin, Waltham, Hamilton, Benrus, Gruen and Bulova, that made their watches here in the United States. Some of these brands used Swiss ébauches, assembling them into American made cases, while others actually made their own in-house movements.
The MeisterSinger Singulator is not to be confused with a regulator… Well, that’s not really true. Basically, it IS a regulator (like the Louis Erard I wrote about before), but with a centralized hour hand rather than minute hand. The idea behind the Singulator was to keep with the single-handed ethos of the brand that, like Defakto, is about slowing down time for the user, but add the traditional three hand functions for when precision is necessary.
Sometimes, all I want in a watch is simplicity and elegance: no unnecessary decoration, no extra knobs or bezels, just 3-hands, maybe a date and classic looks. Of course, there are tons and tons of watches ranging from under 100 to, well, the skies the limit, that satisfy this desire. But one that stands out, and is thus worthy of a watch lust, is the Grand Seiko SBGH001 Hi-Beat.