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James Bond

Glycine Watches

Glycine watches

Background 

Glycine watches was founded in 1914 in Switzerland by Eugene Meylan, who specialised in engineering watches and certainly impressed with his modern designs. He was single-mindedly focused on perfection, making watches that were the most accurate and advanced for their time.

Nearly a century later Glycine thrives and still uses the original designs. The mission was to make distinctive timepieces with a classic design. Each watch is both timeless and modern and avoids being gimmicky. 

Let’s take a look at some of their top offerings.

KMU GL0131

$1,250 / £1,149

The KMU is famous for being big and bold with a huge face. It’s great for those needing to know the time in one quick glance. It’s a remodelling of a former classic collection from ’99. This adaption has better engineering inside and a more refined look. It’s favoured by the military.

All KMU watches have the same accurate automatic movement inside. The large case comes in durable materials including high-grade stainless steel with a scratch-proof dial. There’s a PVD coating which makes it not only durable but sleek and stylish.

Design

The KMU collection features watches that look more modern compared to its siblings. The metal comes is matt black PVD coated which make it look uber-sophisticated. The paint won’t scratch or flake off, either. 

It has a durable and also waterproof tan leather strap and the buckle is adjustable to suit all wrist sizes. If you’d rather, you can change the wristband to a matching matt black leather version.

Luminosity 

The watch face is painted orange and white. This is useful when travelling and you find yourself in less than perfect lighting. The numbers are large and all in all, it’s very easy to read.

Durability

The case is made of 48mm of high-grade stainless steel and is waterproof to 10ATM. If you get caught in the rain, you’ll be fine.

The back of the watch is made of mineral glass. The glass on the dial is sapphire and offers anti-reflection and strength – great for adventurers.

Incursore GL0044

$640 / £530

The Incursore is another big, big watch. It has a simple design. It’s characteristically sturdy. Is a little newer and was purposely made to be cutting edge. It’s another great offering for military personnel, but civvies get good use of out of it too.

Design

Visibility has been a big thing in the watch world. Or, a lack of it. Dials tend to overwhelm the modern screen. This face has huge numbers and big dials to make telling the time really easy.

Use

The Incursore has a rustic, classic look. There’s a distinct lack of colour. The details are cleverly designed to fit in with most attire. If you want an everyday watch, you’ll love this.

Durability

The Incursore has an outer casing which is made of durable, high-grade stainless steel. It has a clear mineral glass on top, known for its dust and scratch resistance characteristics. The sapphire glass offers three anti-reflective layers which mean no matter what the lighting is, it’s easy to read.

Airman 42

$1,250 / £1,160

This is a firm favourite and the best travel companion you could ask for. You can keep an eye on multiple timezones, and there are some fine details that put this at the top of the popularity ratings. It’s also the most costly in the range.

Functionality

If you want something you wouldn’t be surprised to see on James Bond’s wrist, this is for you. All the information you need, at a glance, sits right there on your wrist. Hours through to seconds, the date, three timezones and GMT.

Design

The Airman has a dome of sapphire crystal. It has an anti-reflective quality. It has a Super-LumiNova in a yellowish-green. This means dark lighting will never be a problem. 

Each of the numbers is painstakingly hand-painted onto the face. This is a truly unique feature.

Durability

The exterior of this watch is quite something. It has a similar design to the previously mentioned watches but the Airman has a unique black PVD coating. It is satin polished and has smoked glass and also comes with a highly durable black leather strap.

Are Glycine Watches Worth It?

If you’re a fan of a clean and classic design but also total reliability, you’ll be pleased to own a Glycine watch. 

Glycine offers both budget and mid-range collections that are full of choice – but if you’re looking for something luxurious, you’ll want to look elsewhere. On the whole, more expensive watches don’t offer that much information to the wearer. Date and time are about it. Once you start adding features to the face, it becomes over-crowded and the readability suffers.

The answer to these watches being worth it or not truly depends on your budget and desire for features. They’re very solid and dependable watches, casual, classic and even a little rustic. They make great everyday watches. If you’re expecting anything bigger and better, look elsewhere in the high-end market.

Which are the best alternatives?

If you want something durable, check out our advice on the five features to look for in a rugged watch.

If you want something equally flashy as it is functional, you’ll enjoy reading our review of James Bond’s watches over the years.

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Maygen
Maygen

Maygen is a multifaceted writer, proofreader and an experienced smartwatch industry writing and editing professional.

February 24, 2020 By Maygen Leave a Comment Filed Under: Buying Guides, Classic Watches, Reviews Tagged With: Cartier, classic timepiece, classic watches, Glycine watches, James Bond, watches

The Watches of James Bond Over the Years

James Bond

Is there a more iconic movie screen character than the suave and impeccable James Bond? Created by Ian Fleming, 007 is said to be the man all men aspire to be and all women wish they could be with.

Bond certainly exudes style and class. He has a taste for the finer things in life – and his timepieces are no exception. Let’s take a look at some of the watches James Bond has made iconic.

The Early Years (1962 – 1974)

This first selection comes from the first casino scene from Doctor No in 1962.

Rolex is the only brand of watches mentioned by Ian Fleming in his novels. Director Albert Broccoli saw it fit to honour this fact so in the first five films you’ll only see Sean Connery’s version of James Bond wearing this famous Swiss-made brand.  

Firstly, The Submariner (circa $9,000) was the watch of choice. It has a 40mm case made of stainless steel, as is the bracelet, and the dome is made of sapphire crystal to resist wear and tear. The hands and markers are luminous for readability in low light. It has automatic movement on the inside. 

By the time the film came out in 1962, the Submariner already had a reputation for being rugged and stylish – great for not attracting too much attention.

His had a tan leather strap in the movie, which did add an air of expensive design to it. Later on, in Goldfinger, you might notice he opts for a NATO strap instead. Real buffs can’t get over the fact that the fabric strap seems quite ill-fitting.

The 70s and 80s

Live and Let Die and The Man with the Golden Gun kept up the tradition with Rolex. Until Roger Moore stepped in for his turn as the super spy. Here we see a change over to Seiko, something die-hard Bond fans didn’t appreciate. But as the spy started picking up more and more interesting gadgets, his watches had to keep up.

During the late 70-80s, the watch market saw a rise in popularity for quartz movement. This almost killed off the art of crafting a mechanical movement, but luckily the purists didn’t let this happen. Moore’s version of Bond had to move with the times and that’s why digital innovator Seiko was chosen.

In Moonraker, we see James Bond sporting a Seiko M354. This Memory Bank Calendar watch can actually be picked up on auction sites even today for about $75. If you like retro digital-analogue dual-displays, you’re in luck.

Today

Even to this day, the die-hard fans of the novels insist that Bond should only ever be seen with a Rolex because that’s all that’s ever mentioned in the books. Watch enthusiasts argued that an Omega suits him better.

In 1995 they were proved right. In Goldeneye, we see Bond with an Omega timepiece on his wrist – a brand associated with style and sophistication, not to mention the best quality and craftsmanship.

Next, we see Pierce Brosnan’s Bond wearing a Seamaster 300m ($3,500). This blue face watch has a matching bezel. The case is 42mm of stainless steel with a rubber wristband. The crystal dome protecting the face is sapphire. Inside, it’s powered by automatic movement. As you can tell by the name, it’s waterproof and perfect for any diving fans (or secret agents).

Daniel Craig has certainly picked up the mantle and sports a Seamaster Planet Ocean ($4,500). This watch has a black face and matching bezel. It’s chunkier than ever before, coming in with a case of 42mm in stainless steel. The bracelet is also the same material and the trademark sapphire crystal protects the face. Again, automatic movements power the watch.

In the more recent adventure, Spectre, Bond changed to an Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra ($4,000). This timepiece is a little more formal and slimmer, at 38mm. It has a stainless steel case and an alligator skin strap in black. It’s not quite as ready for the water, having half the resistance of the former. But, at 150m, who’s going to argue the toss?

Tomorrow

Spoiler alert! The trailer for the 2020 Bond, No Time To Die sees Craig sporting a Seamaster Diver 300M special 007 edition. Omega planned this release around the movie ( Bond films are rife with product placement). At nearly $7,000 this 42mm titanium and black aluminium, superwatch comes in a delicious dark brown. It has a mesh bracelet that can be swapped for a NATO version in grey, brown or beige and has the iconic 007 emblem engraved right there on the loop. 

Can I get a James Bond watch?

You can still purchase any of the watches mentioned here. Some are surprisingly budget-friendly. Some you may need to make some serious life changes in order to buy. You can pre-order the special 007 Omega before the movie is released and rock up to the premiere feeling like Bond himself.

If you’re like Bond and are in the market for something that is both functional, but luxury, you should check out our review of the Tag Heuer Connected Modular 41.

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Maygen
Maygen

Maygen is a multifaceted writer, proofreader and an experienced smartwatch industry writing and editing professional.

February 20, 2020 By Maygen Leave a Comment Filed Under: Classic Watches, News Tagged With: classic timepiece, classic watches, James Bond, Omega, Rolex, watches

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