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Is there a ring you've always wanted, but have never found? Work directly with our Designer/Goldsmith and creat your perfect ring. The ring below was designed by one of our favorite clients who has always wanted a platinum ring. The center diamond is a 1 1/4 carat Princess Cut, surrounded by another 1/2 carats total weight of Round Briliant Cut Diamonds. Where will your dreams take you? Call us anytime 1 (888) 243-6329.

traser Watches at Half Price!! While They Last!

OK, it's been 5 years. We really ought to post more often.  I'm told blogs are making a comeback, although no one uses the name "blog" anymore.  I guess we ought to do video and call it a podcast.

At any rate, we wanted you to know we do have a selection of traser watches at 1/2 price, while remaining quantities last.  Just follow this link ---> https://gemday.com/collections/closeouts

 

The Watch Brand Explosion

As someone who has been in the watch and jewelry industry for over 50 years, the recent explosion of new start-up watch brands has been startling. Almost overnight several dozen new brands have appeared, almost all started with "kick-starter" or other venture capital.  These watches share several obvious similarities including expensive, well designed web pages, massive internet advertising and clever, captivating back-stories, which may, or may not be true.

Under the hood they also have similarities the buyer might never notice.  Almost all are made in China, using Chinese or Japanese movements and little or no technological improvements.  They are instead being sold on styling and marketing prowess.  And, quite honestly, most of these companies will not be around in a year or two.

There is nothing wrong with selling style or story.  Many customers want the newest, most unique looking watch.  And at around $200.00 average retail, the watches are not unfairly priced, although keep in mind you are mostly paying for web designers, copywriters and fashion photographers, not the actual watches themselves.  Similar quality watches (made in the same Chinese factories) are available at your local discount store for around $30.00, but with old names of companies long past their glory.

Hidden amide the myriad of glitzy new brands are a few companies genuinely making watches and seriously innovating new manufacturing techniques.  These companies are genuinely advancing the art of watchmaking, not just slapping fresh paint on an old product.  One of the most innovative today is Armourlite in Miami, Florida. ArmourLite Watch Company is an American company that designs, assembles, and tests watches in the USA.

We will be writing several upcoming blog posts about some of the interesting watch developments and manufacturing innovations from Armourlite, but I'll mention one important innovation today - The Armourglass Shatterproof Crystal found on many (but not all) of their watches. Armourglass crystals are multi-layered and can withstand up to 6,000 Vickers, whereas most watch crystals can only withstand about 700. Using the same technology as bulletproof glass, Armourlite created a crystal that won’t shatter even when one layer is compromised.

We hope you'll visit one (or all) of our three websites to see the complete Armourlite collection of innovative watches: Gem of the Day Armourlite Catalog or the Top Flight Watches Armourlite Catalog.  On our Time 4 Tritium Website, we've divided the Armourlite offerings into two different catalogs for easier shopping. Time4Tritum Armourlite Catalog and Time4Tritium Isobright T100 Catalog

A Treasure Has Been Discovered

It's been nearly four years since Florida Keys Watches ceased production of watches and stopped the development of new models.  The unexpected death of the principle owner and the designer of the watch line brought the company to an unexpected and tragic end.  The Key Lido collection, pictured above and below, has become something of a legend, a collectible watch highly sought after and desired by watch aficionados worldwide.  Gem of the Day sold it's last remaining watches two years ago yet they still get requests nearly daily and the Florida Keys Web Page (on the Gem of the Day website) is STILL one of the highest trafficked pages in the entire website.

As real credit to the partnership that founded Florida Keys Watches is that the remaining partners have continued to honor all warranties and repair watches as needed.  It helps that the watches nearly never need repair.  It's almost the perfect watch.

This past week Florida Keys Watches contacted us at Gem of the Day and asked it we would help them liquidate a tiny group of remaining watches they discovered in their vaults.  Of course we instantly agreed.  Originally selling at $475.00, we've agreed to sell the remaining watches for just $299.99 each.  Florida Keys will continue to honor the two year warranty and these watches are new, not refurbished.

REGRETFULLY, WE HAVE SOLD OUT OF ALL OUR FLORIDA KEYS TIME WATCHES. NO ADDITIONAL WATCHES ARE AVAILABLE.

The History of Florida Keys Time

The story of Florida Keys Time is as unique as the watches themselves. Originally founded in 2002 by a group of retired executives of some of the world's largest and most famous watch companies, the goal of Florida Keys Time was simple: Create a series of watches without compromise. Build the best watch possible without regard to cost. Florida Key's founders were tired of the endless compromises made by the big watch companies. In the end, they believed, such compromises only shortchanged the customers.

Using this philosophy, Florida Key's founders insisted the crystals would be highly  scratch resistant synthetic sapphire glass. The case and bracelets are made of be solid titanium for strength and durability combined with very light weight. Naturally the watches would be depth tested to 100 meters (330 feet) below sea level.


The movements in the Lido Collection are at the very leading edge of technology. Because digital displays make multiple functions like alarms, dual time and chronographs easy to use, the watch needed to utilize large digital displays with full bright backlighting using electro-luminescence.


But the watches also needed to have great styling. Florida Keys chose the newest color digital displays, available in Black, Blue, Yellow or Orange. And the digital display can actually be turned off, yet available to the owner at the simple touch of a button.

Development and field testing of the new Lido Collection was done under the most demanding conditions. Just as there was no compromise in the design, there was no compromise in the testing. These are remarkable watches that can handle any sport, any activity, any work conditions and any situation!


The unexpected death of one of the founders of Florida Keys Time brought the company to an end. The watches are loved by owners world wide and remain one of the most demanded watches Gem of the Day has ever carried. We are proud of our long association with the company and the people who originally envisioned this ground breaking watch.

The Power of the Sun

The sundial is the oldest know time keeping instrument.  The earliest known sundials are from about 1,500 B.C.  And the sundial is referred to in the Bible in both Isaiah 38:8 and 2 Kings 20:11 (about 700 B.C.).  It is of course logical to assume that man used the shadows of the sun long before that to estimate time.

One obvious limitation of the Sundial was it's inability to tell time at night, although man quickly learned to use the movement of the stars, planets and moon for that purpose.

If we "fast forward" about 3,600 years man is once again using the Sun as a primary source of power to tell time!  Citizen Watch Company has certainly perfected the use of their ECO-DRIVE power system to  harness light and store it to power very complicated watches that tell the time accurately anywhere on earth.  Here, rather than casting shadows, the sunlight (or artificial light) is converted into electrical energy and stored in a capacitor for use.  Most Citizen watches can store power for a year or more without recharging.

Shown at the top of the page is Citizen Watch Company's newest generation of their Altichron Watch which not only tells time, but also the altitude and compass directions, all powered by light.  The Watch Guys Blog reviewed the Altichron when the watch was first introduced and the functions have not changed.  Here is a link to the original review with its in depth functional instructions: The Watch Guys Review of the Citizen Altichron Watches.

The newest Altichron, model BN5058-07E, has a greatly reduced price, cleaner, more modern lines and superior strength and durability.  Unlike the plastic watches offered by some competitors, the newest Altichron is all stainless steel and is entirely analog.  It looks like a fine watch because it is a fine watch.  The Citizen Altichron is available on both our Gem of the Day and our Top Flight Watches websites at a great discount price with FREE SHIPPING.

The Amazon Dilemma

To Amazon or Not to Amazon, that is the question facing virtually every on-line retailer today.  Amazon is such a retailing powerhouse that it's estimated they control nearly 40% of all on-line sales.  Even for companies like Gem of the Day, that are actually older on-line entities than Amazon, the reality of Amazon's credibility and traffic delivering power makes it virtually impossible to ignore.

Many people don't realize that a huge amount of Amazon's website offerings are actually offered, warehoused and shipped by other, independent, retailers.  The retailer must be pre-approved by Amazon to then list products on the Amazon website.  The advantages to the retailer are obvious: visibility, traffic, credibility, customer confidence, advertising and infrastructure, including credit card processing,  are all provided by Amazon.

But here's the dilemma: Amazon charges substantially for the privilege of listing product on their website.  For jewelry and watches the charge can be as high as 15% to 20% of the offering price.  If the retailer sells the same item on his or her own website, the costs are significantly less.  But so are the sales!!

Retailers we've talked with tell us Amazon will deliver ten times the sales on any given item when compared to the company's own website.  Other retailers tell us it can be 100 times the sales.

Can the retailer find room in their margin to overcome the Amazon commission?  Are the additional sales worth the reduced  margins?

It should be noted that some watch brands, especially some better Swiss brands absolutely PROHIBIT Authorized Dealers from selling their watches on Amazon.  If and when you find those brands on Amazon they will be "gray market" or transhipped watches and the manufacturer will not honor the warranty.  

The Test of Time

Ten years ago TODAY, October 31, 2007, we added the Citizen Eco-Drive TITANIUM RACING CHRONOGRAPH, model BL5250-02L to our on-line catalog on Gem of the Day.  In the world of watches, especially from the large (gigantic!!!!) Japanese Watch Companies, it is rare for a model to continue to be produced for so many years.  Slow sellers are discontinued almost immediately,  In fact Citizen Watch Company discontinues nearly a third of their line every year!

Yet the Eco-Drive Racing Chronograph has endured for all these years and shows no sign of slowing down.  It has always been one of our top best sellers, and I'm betting it's been a consistent best seller for Citizen, too.

The real question is "Why?" Citizen has produced several hundred (you read that right) models with the identical features of alarm, chronograph, perpetual calendar and dual time zones.  These models have come an gone.  Far fewer have had a TITANIUM CASE and that may well be part of the secret.  Titanium is lightweight and stronger than steel. 

The Eco-Drive Racing Chronograph is water resistant to 200 meters or 660 feet below sea level.  It is suitable for deep diving (although not with the racing leather strap).  The key here is the BL5250-02L is incredibly tough and no one is afraid to wear it under any conditions or circumstances. 

Beyond that you quickly get into subjective features of looks, styling and comfort.  I always felt it was (and still is) one of Citizen's best looking watches,  The gray dial and easy-to-read hands and numbers and subdials create an understated elegance.  

I certainly don't want to underestimate the importance of the battery-free Eco-Drive movement.  Combined with the nearly indestructible Titanium Case, the watch never needs maintenance.  It simply runs and keeps perfect time forever!  The Citizen Eco-Drive Quartz Movement, Caliber E820, is one of the most tested and proven watch movements Citizen has ever made. The power reserve is nearly 6 months and recharges in two hours of sunlight.

How long with the BL5250-02L Citizen Racing Chronograph be available.  Obviously we don't know, but if you buy one today you'll have yours forever!

Available from both Gem of the Day and Top Flight Watches just by clicking the links.

The P68 Pathfinder Has Arrived!

Traser is a very Swiss and very European oriented watch designer and manufacturer.  They promoted the grand unveiling of their new top-of-the-line flagship watch, the Swiss P68 Pathfinder Automatic aggressively in Europe.  Our previous blog post has the teaser video that never really showed the watch but gave hints to its functions and appearance.  The "Grand Reveal" date was yesterday, September 29, 2017.

Traser elected not to pre-distribute the watches to dealers here in America for fear one of them might post pictures or, even worse, sell a watch before the reveal date.  Traser is great company, but they lack the iron clad control over their dealers that Apple has.  The watches have now been shipped to the U.S. and will be available here for sale in the next few days.

With each new release Traser has shown both its ability and its willingness to take on the premier Swiss manufacturers like Ball Watch and Luminox.  Their watch equal and, in our opinion, often exceed the more well known prestige brands.  Traser does have an advantage. They are the world's only manufacturer of Tritium Gas Tube Illumination.  Others must buy the tubes from Traser.  And Traser keeps the newest technology for themselves for a year or more.

The P68 Pathfinder is a Swiss Automatic and is entirely Swiss Made.  The movement has a date function with the date window at the 3 o'clock position on the dial.

Traser has added an "under the sapphire glass" compass bezel controlled by an external crown at the 8 o'clock position.  A watch compass bezel allows the wearer to use the relative position of the sun compared to the hour hand to determine direction.  The technology here is, quite literally, as old as time.  While other watches have had compass bezels, Traser has embraced the technology here and provides detailed and illustrated instructions on its use with the watch.

As always with Traser the key is the use of multiple illumination technologies to create a watch that at dusk and through the night makes the watch a joy to see and to own. Tritium tubes are used on all three hands and on all 12 hour indices for permanent illumination.  They then add Super Luminova paint to the numbers and the compass bezel to create a wonderland of illumination.  You can see the result at the top of this page.

The Traser P68 Pathfinder Automatic is available for order now on the Time 4 Tritium Website which also has a wealth of additional pictures in information about the watch, including fiull specifications.  Be sure to check out the slideshow on the Time 4 Tritium home page.  It takes a few seconds to load but is well worth the await!

  

Sneak Preview! Coming Attraction!

Prepare to be amazed.  This fall Traser introduces the P68 Pathfinder Swiss Automatic Watch with internal compass bezel and dual illumination.  More info to follow.....

Introducing the All New Time 4 Tritium Website

We are very pleased to introduce our entirely redesigned Time 4 Tritium Website.  This represents a gigantic step forward in both website design and in content presentation.  We believe this is the premier site for both buying and learning about watches.

First, and most importantly the website is now completely mobile friendly and will resize automatically for your tablet or your mobile phone without ANY LOSS OF CONTENT.  Too many website penalize users when they convert to a mobile phone size, reducing or actually eliminating content available on the browser size site.  Not on piece of information is lost.

Content is king on the new Time 4 Tritium Website.  Because we are actual dealers and we stock and ship every item shown on our website we actually have seen, handled, explored and tested every watch.  Many of our competitors have never seen a watch, they are conduits for outside manufacturers to ship.  They don't know dimensions, features or even how the watch works.  We are actual watchmakers and know the product inside and out.

All that information makes its way onto the website.  The information is detailed and complete.  Plus we back it all up with our TOLL FREE NUMBER 1 (888) 243-6329 so you can ask even more questions without any pressure to buy.

Click on this link to see a great example of the really indepth information we provide:  Traser P66 Red Alert Tactical Military Watch.  Now try this experiment: Do a Google Search and locate any other dealer and look at their website.  Most don't even realize the watch uses rare RED TRITIUM. They don't know the specs, they have no idea what tritium is our how it works.

The new Time 4 Tritium Website has a much larger selection of watches than ever before.  Yet it's easy to navigate and fun to explore.  And there is much more to come. 

Finally, we would welcome your feedback, ideas and suggestions.  Please add a comment to this blog. We look forward to hearing from you.

Tritium Lights No bigger than the Size of a Hair

The world leader in the technology of Tritium illumination, H3 mb-microtec, the Swiss parent of Traser watches, has now emerged as a leading Swiss technology designer with ground breaking, innovative, highly functional designs. Because H3 mb-microtec is the world's only designer and manufacturer of tritium gas tubes, their watch division, Traser, gets the new technology first.

This new technology has been named Trigalight® HairLight Tritium because it is so incredibly thin. The outer glass tubes are about the thickness of five human hairs, and the actual inner glowing gas is only about the thickness of a single hair!

So far Traser has introduced two models that use the HairLight Tritium tubes and both are pictured at the top of the page. First is the Traser T5 Aurora Chronograph that uses the super thin Hairlight to illuminate the chronograph subdials.  A custom sapphire crystal provides perfect visibility of the detail possible with the new tubes.  There has never been a watch this stunning after dark!

The second watch to employ this technology is the Traser Aurora GMT Pilot's Watch. The P59 Aurora GMT is a true dual time zone, 24 hour timepiece with a fourth hand to easily indicate 24 hour time for any time zone you desire. The dial is crisp and easy to read in daylight and is great looking, too. Once again the key to this design is the super thin HairLight Tritium that allows illumination of not only the 24 hour hand, but also all 24 hour markers. There is Tritium Illumination on all 12 hour markers and on ALL HANDS.

Learn more and shop for these watch on all three of our websites:

Gem of the Day Aurora Chronograph Watches

Top Flight Watches, Traser Watch Catalog

Time 4 Tritium, Your Tritium Watch Superstore

Traser Creates a True GMT Pilot's Watch... and It's Beautiful

Finally, H3 mb-microtec, the Swiss parent of Traser Watches, who are, by the way, the world leader in Tritium Technology, has added true GMT Pilot's Watches with independent fourth hands and a 24 hour subdials. Most importantly they've continued their leadership in watch illumination technology to create an amazingly functional and tremendously beautiful Pilot's Watch.

Top Flight Watches is pleased to introduce the all new P59 Aurora GMT Pilot's Watch Collection to our pilot's and travelers here in the U.S.A. As mentioned above the P59 Aurora is a true dual time zone watch, a 12 hour and a 24 hour timepiece with a fourth hand to easily indicate 24 hour time for any time zone you desire. The gradient color dial adds a touch of Swiss sophistication to the overall design and is great looking, too.

The watch also uses a combination of Lumi-Bright Luminous paint and Tritium Illumination to light the dial insuring maximum visibility day or night. There is Tritium Illumination on all hour markers and on ALL HANDS, including the 24 hour hand.  The 24 Hour subdial is also  fully illuminated with Tritium.

H3 mb-microtec has chosen to use their new super thin tritium gas tubes for illumination which allows more tubes to be placed closer together as you can see from the close-up above,  This means you get an illuminated marker for each of the 24 hour time indicators.  

Traser P59 Aurora GMT collection includes four model choices, all with stainless steel cases, anti-glare coated, scratchproof sapphire glass crystals and with depth tested water resistance down to 100 meters or 330 feet below sea level.  There are two dial colors and two strap or bracelet choices.  They can all be seen on either website linked below:

Top Flight Watches

Time 4 Tritium 

New Traser Color Tritium Watch Exclusive for the U.S.A.

Virtually all of our regular readers (and most watch collectors) know that H3 mb-microtec is the only manufacturer of Tritium Powered light tubes in the world.  Every single watch manufacturer who chooses to illuminate their watch with Tritium must buy the gas light tubes from H3 mb-microtec. This includes Luminox, Ball Watches, Smith & Wesson and others.

But H3 mb-microtec also offers their own brand of fine SWISS MADE Watches under the trade name TRASER. As you might guess, Traser gets the newest light innovations, first.

For us here at Gemday, the most in demand color of Tritium Lights has been the Red. The red lights are dramatic and unique even though they are not quite as bright as the original green of the blue or white. Still, Red is HOT, if you'll pardon the pun.

Working with their new United States Distributor, Traser developed a LIMITED EDITION Red, White and Blue Tritium Illuminated Watch with the glowing tube colors that resemble the color layout of the United States Flag, Blue and White are in the upper left quadrant (like the stars on the American Flag), with Red and White on the other three quarters of the dial (resembling the red and white stripes).

Quantities are extremely limited and are only available for a very few dealers.  You can learn more about these watches, see more pictures (and you can buy one, too) at any of our three websites:

Traser Shade Red, White and Blue Tritium Special Edition, models 107370, 107371 from Gem of the Day

Top Flight Watches

Time 4 Tritium

2015 Trasers (part 4) - Special Forces 100

The best tritium watch on the market is getting a face lift and it's better than ever!  This week we are taking a look at the all new Special Forces 100 and how the best watch in the business is getting even better.

The Special Forces 100 is the new replacement series for the old Commander Force 100 and while it shares many of the same features with the out going model, it improves the watch in almost every way.  Starting from the ground up the Special Forces 100 takes everything we love about the reigning champ and makes it just a little better. 

Let's start with the styling.  The new model certainly shares the same basic shapes and style of the original but tweaks it just enough to make a statement.  The differences are subtle but once you start to look closely they are unmistakable. First off it's bigger.  Measuring in at 44mm in diameter (up from 42mm) bringing it in-line with the new standard of modern men's watches while retaining the standard 12mm thickness of most Tritium watches on the market.  The new size is comfortable on the wrist while providing slightly bolder look and yet not too big to wear every day for every occasion.

The Special Forces 100 also gets a new font which really updates the overall look of the watch.  I know a new font seems like a little thing but you really do notice.  It makes for sharper numbers and once again brings the watch into a more modern style.  The old watch actually got a new font on the dial not too long ago but bezel is really showing it's age.  It's basically the same bezel it's had since the watch was launched and it's really showing it's age.  It has a very old-school feel to it and the new dial/bezel looks like something from the digital age.  It ties everything together nicely freshens up the whole watch.

And speaking of the new dial, the new internal bezel (that holds the Tritium for markers for 1-12) is now recessed giving the hands more room and providing more surface area under the crystal.  You'll notice the second hand now floats over the hour markers rather than stop short.  The change makes for a much larger look that is more readable than before and allows for a greater use of space.  This coupled with the larger case make for a dramatic increase of overall dial space, where as the old dial looked somewhat squished.  

Hands are different now too.  Gone are the old school hands that accompanied almost all Tritium watches for a generation and in it's place is a much more contemporary look.  We also find new stamping on the setting crown, which is now adorned with the signature H3 logo (trademark logo for Traser's Tritium Trigilight technology) and the crown is also slightly larger and easier to grip.  This allows for easier opening and closing of the screw-down functionality as well as setting procedures.

As with all the new 2015 Traser's we are looking at, this model features the Ronda 715.6 Li Quartz movement that provides up to 10-years battery life in between changes.  Definitely one of my favorite things about the new models.  Getting to go 10 years in between changes is a really nice feature and something missing from the original. 

Most of the standard features like 200 meters water resistant, sapphire crystal, screwdown crown, screwdown caseback, solid titanium case and bracelet (and of course full Tritium illumination) remain untouched but the little things mentioned above all add up to a nicely updated watch that still retains everything that made it great in the first place.  And in a market where an affordable solid titanium watch remains the minority, the Traser Special Forces 100 retains it's crown as the watch to beat in an ever growing and competitive marketplace.

For a full list of feature, specs and prices visit one of our great sites: Topflight Watches or Time 4 Tritium or call us Toll Free at 1-888-243-6329.  One of our friendly staff would be happy to provide you with any information you need.  We love to talk about watches!


Stay tuned next week for our look at the Survivor Pro.

2015 Trasers (part 3) - Blue Infinity

Welcome to Week 3 of our Traser 2015 special.  This week we are going to take a closer look at the Blue Infinity.

The Blue Infinity is the brother to the Green Spirit of last week and largely shares most of it's features.  The biggest distinction of the two watches is of course the color and to a smaller extent, the overall way in which the color is applied.  The Blue Infinity is much more symmetrical for starters.  Aside from the asymmetrical stripes on the band, the rest of the watch is colored in a fairly standard fashion. 

Like the Green Spirit, the Blue Infinity is Traser's way of adding some color and pop to their impressive line of watches but the Blue Infinity is much more reserved in my opinion than last weeks offering.  While the Green Spirit is a little on the loud side, almost screaming with it's near neon-green, the Blue Infinity is a  darker affair.  In fact, paired with a standard black nato-style band the watch would easily be understated enough to go as an every day watch for any occasion.

On the flip side though, I actually quite like the blue and white striped band.  The white makes a nice accent and helps set off the design.  Black, blue and white is carried throughout the watch design, from the band to the hands to the dial and tie everything together quite nicely. 

One of the other ways the Blue Infinity sets itself apart is by utilizing Blue Tritium illumination.  Kind of a no-brainer here sure but it's a nice touch all the same.  At night you'll find blue tritium on every hand and marker save the 12 o'clock, which is white Tritium (again a nice touch from a color standpoint). 

 

(Night photo courtesy of Traser) 

Technical specs for this model are identical to the Green Spirit save the few already mentioned.  Here is a complete run down:

• P6600 Double Case Design, Steel Inner Case with a Carbon Fiber Outer Case  
• Movement: Ronda Calibre 517.6 DD
• Blue Tritium Illumination on the Hour, Minute and Second Hands and Eleven Hour Markers
• White Tritium on the 12 o'clock Hour Marker
• Blue Tritium on the Elapse Time Bezel
• Virtually Scratchproof Sapphire Crystal
• 660 Feet (200 Meters) Water Resistant
• Day and Date Window
• Bidirectional Timer Style Outer Bezel
• Screw Down Crown
• Screw Down Case back
• Nylon Fabric NATO Military Strap with Stainless Steel Buckle

DIMENSIONS:

• Diameter: 45mm (48mm with crown)
• Depth: (thickness) 11 mm
• Lug Width: 22 millimeters

But at the end of the day, the biggest differences are cosmetic between these two new models. My best advise would be to choose the one you like best.  Essentially they are the same watch so take the one that speaks to you.  Because regardless of which you choose, you'll end up with a solid well made watch you can count on.  Traser makes some of the best watches in the business and these are no exception.

As always, you can visit us at any one of our store fronts to see more information, prices, details and availability: Gem of the Day, TopFlight Watches and Time 4 Tritium

Stay tuned for next weeks adventures.  Coming up is the all new Tornado Pro, Survivor Pro and Special Forces 100.  See you soon!

2015 Trasers (part 2) - Green Spirit

Welcome back to our multi-part coverage of the all NEW 2015 Traser watches.  This week we are going to take a closer look at the Green Spirit.  The Green Spirit is one of two new additions to the P6600 line of watches in the Traser line.  The P6600 all started with the Mil-G, the next gen military watch from Traser.  This watch effectively replaced the old Type-6 as the newest go-to military spec watch.  These watches were designed and intended for actual military use and as such they were very utilitarian and basic from a style standpoint.  As the popularity of the Mil-G grew Traser knew they needed to expand the series to cater to a wider audience.

As the series expanded, we started to get more and more styles.  At first, they were still very close to the Mil-G in terms of style.  Watches like the Elite Red and P6600 Automatic made little changes like Tritium color or swapping for an Automatic mechanical movement but before long the P6600 platform took over as the driving platform for a large portion of the traser line.  Everything from the Red Combat to the Extreme Sport to the Classic Elegance Chrono can draw it's heritage right back to the original Mil-G. 

Now enters the Green Spirit.  The most colorful and boldest variation of the P6600 series yet.  It's Trasers first attempt at a truly bold look in years and one of the few competitors to the colorful Colormark series from Luminox.  It's vibrant design is masterfully carried out from top to bottom.  Starting out with the basic P6600 case the Green Spirit makes some bold changes.

It's not just the addition of the color green but how it was introduced.  There are some cool design ques going on here that really make the watch pop.  Notice how the bezel is accented with the color green from 12 o'clock to 6 o'clock and how the inner bezel is colored to match giving the watch and feint asymmetrical design.  Even more than that the inner bezel numbering and the dial numbering offset each other.  "6-12" is found on the inner bezel and "18-24" on the dial.

This asymmetrical design is also carried over into the band with the green stripes lining up opposite the outer bezel accents.  Each layer from the outside in only ever accents half of the watch.  It's subtle and most people might not even notice but it give this watch and really unique look within the Traser line and it's little touches like that that I look for when I buy a watch.

Like most of the P6600 series watches, the Green Spirit has a double case construction.  Black polymer outer-case with a steel inner-case.  This allows the watch to be lighter than a steel watch but still retain the screw-down caseback and crown.  This assures 200 meter water resistance as well as long term durability.  The Green Spirit also shares some upgrades with some of the later P6600 models.  Most notably it has a genuine Sapphire crystal

A full rundown of the specs look like this:

• Double Case: Stainless Steel, Fiberglass Reinforced  
• Movement: Ronda Calibre 517.6 DD
• Sapphire Crystal
• Trigalight Tritium Gas Illumination
• Green Tritium on the Hour and Minute Hands
• Green Tritium on the Unidirectional Timer Bezel
• Green Tritium on the Number 1 thriu 11
• Orange Tritium on the 12 o'clock Marker
• Blackout Dial with Green paint on the Hands and Markers
• Water Resistant to 20 Atmospheres (660 feet)
• Screw Down Crown
• Screw Down Caseback
• Nylon NATO Style Strap / Green Stripes
• DIMENSIONS:
• Diameter: 45 millimeters (48 millimeters with setting crown)
• Thickness: 11 millimeters

As you can see from above, despite the fancy color, the Green Spirit is the real deal.  It can easily take whatever you dish out and come back for more.  And of course because it's a Traser it features full Trigalight Tritium Illumination.  Meaning you can see this watch easily and accurately in any light condition, day or night.

All in all I really like the direction Traser has taken with the Green Spirit.  Adding more color to the line is a much needed step in the right direction.  It really pops and shines a light on an already impressive growing line of watches.  And as always you can find out more information, prices, picture and more on all three of our retail sites: Gem of the Day, TopFlight Watches and Time 4 Tritium.

Stay tuned next week as we take a look at the Green Spirit's brother, the Blue Infinity in part 3 of our on going coverage of the new Traser 2015 models.

New 2015 Traser's are Here!

That right!   The ALL NEW 2015 Traser's are here and over the new few weeks we are going to take a closer look at each one.  This is the beginning of a 6-part series and each week we are going to take an in-depth look at each of the new models. We'll discuss each in turn and let you know what each of them have to offer.  

 

Two of the new models, the Green Spirit and Blue Infinity are based off the ever popular P6600 series and bring a fresh new look to the series and some much needed color. 

The other three and all new series and represent the next generation of Traser watches.  These effectively will be replacing the out going Long Life, Navigator, Commander and Black Storm Pro series.  They have all the same great fautures as the older models with some new tricks too!  

Keen eyes will also notice that the cases have been redesigned from the ground up with all new cases, bezels, dials and hands but more on that later.  For now, let's just say "Hello" to the new faces of Traser.

You can see the whole Traser collection at TopFlight Watches.  All models, pricing, specs and more!

Stay tuned for more info each week! 

May the 4th be with you...

Every year we do have a special May 4th COUPON CODE, but we have never publicized it until today.  It's good on all three websites and it's as simple as you might imagine: Maythe4th

Gem of the Day

Top Flight Watches

Time 4 Tritium

Excitement in Basel, Switzerland

The world's largest exhibition of watches in underway in Basel, Switzerland this week. Virtually every watch company in the world uses the Basel Fair to introduce new designs, new technology and time keeping ideas. 

Luminox Watch Company is no exception. The Swiss Leader in military, law enforcement and extreme sports is celebrating their 25th Anniversary and is using the excitement of Basel to showcase new 25th Anniversary Watches. Luminox announced in Basel that they are launching several series of high performance watches. The introductions are comprised of updated classics and new models. Naturally every introduction shares Luminox's legendary self-powered illumination H3 Tritium system. 

First we have the RECON Leader 8840 series, designed in collaboration with former Swiss Army Military Security NCO Andrea Micheli. Pictured above, the new chronograph alarm model is part of the RECON series. The watch features an alarm function, a chrono function with split second timing, multiple time zones, a walking speed tachometer, a contrast-color countdown quadrant on the dial, and a bezel compass. 

As always, attention to detail is a hallmark of Luminox design. For example each watchstrap contains three common map scales and an inch/centimeter measurement chart. The watches come in a military-style MOLLE (MOdular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment) package that also doubles as a sunglasses case. The RECON series will be available for purchase later this spring or early summer. 

Other 25th Anniversary designs will include a Navy SEAL series with a new 25th Anniversary dial set into the lightweight carbon-reinforced polycarbonate case. There will also be a new ANU (Authorized for Navy Use) Chronograph 4240 series is designed for Maritime Commandos and Elite Military Operatives. 

Finally, there will be a new Scott Cassell UVP Special Edition watch was made in homage to Scott Cassell, a combat diver and underwater explorer and in support of his Undersea Voyager Project (UVP). The watch features a stainless steel crown set in a carbon-reinforced case. Proceeds from sales of this watch will go towards the UVP. 

Look for these new watches and others in our Gem of the Day on-line Luminox Catalog

The Watch Designed for the EMT

Whether working with the Fire Department, Police Department or any branch of the Armed Services, the EMT's (or Emergency Medical Technician's) job is often the toughest and most demanding profession of them all.  

EMTs often work under the most difficult of circumstances, in the tightest spaces and must perform their duties quickly and accurately if they are to save lives.  There simply is no room for compromise. 

H3 Tactical has created a Tritium Illuminated Watch especially for the EMT that, for the first time ever, uses four different colors of Tritium designed to help the EMT do his or her job.  More on the four color tritium design later.

Let's start firsr with the actual construction of the watch, case and strap.  To make a watch tough enough for use in the field, especially by the military, H3 Tactical started with their extremely popular S.W.A.T. watch.  This is the strongest, toughest watch H3 Tactical makes.  The case is entirely surgical, 316 grade, stainless steel.  The crystal is highly scratch resistant sapphire glass.  Both the crown and the case back screw down for maximum water tightness.  As a result the watch is water resistant to 660 feet below sea level.

Speaking of the crown it is repositioned on this watch from the traditional 3 o'clock position to the 10 o'clock position.  This increases wrist movement for both left handed and right handed wearers, The crown never impedes flexibility, never gouges the wrist or arm.

The Swiss Movement is a multi-jeweled Quartz Movement that is extremely accurate, shock resistant, and dependable.  Battery life is an amazing 42 months and there is a low power warning system to alert the EMT to change the battery weeks before any possible power failure.

To assist the EMT in evaluating a patient's condition quickly and accurately, H3 Tactical added a unidirectional 20 Heartbeat pulse meter bezel.  Instead of having to count heartbeats over a lengthy period of time and then multiple the number to the equivalent of a one minute timeframe, the EMT only needs to count 20 heartbeats from the zero position on the bezel and glance down to accurately determine the pulse rate. No mathematical computation is necessary.

This is a great tool for the EMT.  But what if the EMT is working in low light or total darkness, perhaps on the battlefield, during a power outage or other demanding set of circumstances?  That's where the four colors of tritium come into play.

As you can see to the right, the second hand and the 12 o'clock (or zero) markers have blaue tritium. This is the starting point for the 20 heartbeat count.  If the EMT reaches 20 heartbeats with the second hand in the orange, the heart is beating too rapidly.  If, however, the 20 count in in the green tritium area, that patient is in good condition with a pulse rate between 60 and 80 beats per minute.

It the 20 beat count falls into the lower orange range, the pulse rate is too low.  If it falls into the red, it is dangerously too low and immediate action is required.  This is a powerful too for the EMT.

As you might have already guessed, runners, cross trainers and all athletes also love the pulse meter on this watch.  Certainly everyone loves the strength and durability of this model.

And I'm going to be honest here, even the casual wearers love the color tritium display, it just looks fantastic!  The good news it that even if you are just a casual wearer, you can't purchase a better, tougher, more versatile or longer lasting watch.

We sell this watch on all three of our websites.  You can see additional pictures and get more information on our Gem of the Day website here ---> https://www.gemday.com/item0928.htm 

You can see all our Tritium Illuminated Watches for military, law enforcement and medical personnel on out Time 4 Tritium Website here --->  http://www.time4tritium.com/

To see specialty watch for pilot's please visit our Top Flight Watches website here ----->  http://www.topflightwatches.com/