Princeton Watches Site News

Squale Watches - Put a Shark on Your Wrist

Squale Watches have developed quite a following lately with dive watch afficionados.  Designed by an Italian company, the name is the plural of the Italian word for shark, "squalo".  So the name Squale (pronounced SKWAH-lay in Italian) means "sharks", those denizens of the deep that inspire awe and fear at the same time.  Maybe you'd rather not see a shark on your next dive unless it's quite a distance away, but you can now wear one on your wrist.

The movements in our new line of Squale Watches are Swiss ETA automatic movements and the watches are made in Switzerland, but the style has Italian flair, and kind of a retro look invoking dive watches from the 1970's, a look we've always liked.

One of the neat features sported by some Squale models is the push-button to release and then lock the rotating bezel.  This handy feature allows you to turn the bezel in either direction, which makes it easy to set, but once you release the button, the bezel can't be turned, so you can't accidentally change it.

The rotating bezel is used, as watch gurus and divers know, to measure elapsed time, such as a dive, or anything you want to time, on land or sea.  The push-button locking bezel feature was originally developed and marketed in the early 70s by Omega and those watches are now quite collectible.  Omega has recently re-introduced this feature in some of their Omega Seamaster Professionals, but you can get it in a Squale at less than one tenth the price and it is definitely a handy and hard to find feature in a dive watch.

Squale doesn't currently have a US distributor, but we've purchased and imported these watches directly from Squale in Italy due to numerous requesta by our dive watch customers.  So these are authorized watches, and the one year Squale warranty is handled directly through us.  So check out our Squale Watches and let us know what you think.

 

 

 

Seiko Celebrates the 40th Anniversary of Quartz Watches with Limited Edition Astron Watch

The Seiko Astron Limited edition watch commemorates the 40th anniversary of Seiko's pioneering introduction of the first commercial quartz watch.  Available in Fall 2010 in a limited edition of 200 worldwide and only 40 in the US at a suggested retail of $5000. The new Astron  pays homage not only to the original design, but also to the pioneering spirit and innovation of its predecessor. The caliber 9F sets a new standard in quartz technology.

The hands are larger and longer than usually found in a quartz watch. This is made possible by the use of a special two-pulse circuit and motor which generate much higher torque.The second hand aligns perfectly to the markers, thanks to a special jumper that incorporates a hairspring.The date changes instantaneously. In fact, it takes just 1/ 2,000 of a second, far faster than in any normal watch.

Seiko Met the Quartz Watch Design Challenge and Changed the Way the World Tells Time

The vast majority of probably a billion watches worn today are based on quartz technology.  If your watch requires a battery, or even if it is powered by solar energy, it is likely to be regulated at its heart by a vibrating quartz crystal.  But how was this ubiquitous quartz watch technology developed and commercialized?

Seiko Project 59A

 It all started in 1959 as 'Project 59A' at a research & development lab at Seiko. Pierre Curie had discovered in 1880 that when an electrical current is passed across a quartz crystal, the crystal will vibrate at a fast and very precise speed. The question was how to utilize this effect in a practical application.  Seiko engineers produced the first quartz timepiece in 1959, a clock actually used by a tv station in Japan, but it was OVER 6 FEET tall and is shown at left. Clearly, miniaturization would be the next challenge!

During the 1960's, as America and Russia raced to the moon, Seiko engineers were racing to reach a different goal. They developed an open-style stepping motor, which made significant size reduction possible.  Seiko engineers also reduced power requirements by inventing new integrated circuits, ultimately inventing a C-MOS IC which made it possible for a quartz movement to run for more than a year on a button-type battery.

The Quartz revolution takes off with the Seiko Astron

The original Seiko Quartz Astron had an 18 Karat gold case and went on sale in Tokyo on December 25, 1969 in a limited edition of just 100. The Quartz Astron was precise to five seconds a month, 100 times more accurate than most mechanical watches.  The Astron introduction turned out to be a momentous day for the entire watch industry as it laid the foundation for revolutionizing the watch industry, which, until then had been dominated by mechanical watches manufactured in America, Switzerland and by Seiko in Japan.

If you are interested in the limited edition Astron, please contact us at 800-572-8263 for availability.

Princeton Watches is an authorized Seiko Internet Retailer, carrying the complete line of Seiko Watches

KE$HA is the New CASIO BABY-G WATCH Spokesperson

Casio recently announced that the popular performer Ke$ha will serve as a brand ambassador and watch designer for the Casio Baby-G line of women's watches. In addition to being a Baby-G spokesperson, she will help design two Baby-G watches, which will hit the scene in summer of 2011.  In the meantime, Kesha will be featured in ads for other colorful Baby-Gs being released this fall.

“I think the Baby-G brand is amazing it's stylish, innovative, durable and affordable. The bright colors and metallic finishes really compliment my moods and personality,” said Ke$ha. “I have some fun ideas for my watches and I am so thrilled that I am the first worldwide female artist to be given the opportunity to design my very own Baby-G!”

Ke$ha made the announcement at Casio's annual "Shock the World" event in New York and also performed for the crowd of G-Shock fans and the press in attendance, singing  her hit "Tik Tok" a natural tie-in for a watch brand.

“We are very excited to have the colorful and creative Ke$ha as a collaborator for the Casio Baby-G brand,” said Shigenori Itoh, Vice President of Casio’s Timepiece Division. “As soon as we heard her hit single, ‘Tik Tok’, we knew we had to have Ke$ha as a Casio Brand Ambassador. It was a natural fit!”

The Baby-G brand was developed as the women’s counterpart to the brand’s highly-successfully G-Shock brand. Baby G watches are an affordable and fun way to add color to your look, with suggested retail $79 to $99.

Other celibrities currently representing Casio watches include actor Bryan Greenberg and  Formula One racecar driver Sebastian Vettlel for Casio’s new luxury men’s line EDFICE Black Label.

Princeton Watches carries the full line of both Baby-G and G-Shock Watches

Connect with Princeton Watches on Facebook

Our newly revised Princeton Watches Facebook page is up and running and finding friends.  Stop by and let us know if you "like it"

Note the tabs on our page with a shopping section and tabs for our pre-owned watches and new additions.  We update our wall with new and interesting items from various brands

Fine Pre-Owned Swiss Watches Ramping up at Princeton Watches

We've been finding quite a bit of treasure lately and we've added over 20 fine pre-owned watches to the pre-owned watch section of our site in the past week or so.  Check our Fine Pre-Owned Watches page for all our new listings, but below is one of our favorite finds because it's just so classy:

Jaeger Le Coultre Master Control Automatic

This watch was produced in 2007 or 2008, so it's nearly new and in  mint condition.

It's all Jaeger LeCoultre, all the "time" (pardon the pun) including the Jaeger LeCoultre 32 Jewel movement and orginal Jaeger strap and folding clasp.

It's an elegant classic from a classic watch maker and the simple white face and alligator strap will make a statement anywhere you wear it.

All Pre-Owned watches from Princeton Watches are warranted by us for 6 months from the date of purchase unless noted otherwise on the listing for individual watches.  If the watch stops working or has a significant timekeeping problem, we will service the watch at our expense.

Read more about (or buy) the Jaeger LeCoultre Master Control Automatic and view several additional pictures on our site

Victorinox Swiss Army, Past & Present

Highlighting VIctorinox as they celebrate their 125th Anniversary and our tenth year as Swiss Army watch retailers, we have updated and expanded our Victorinox brand information page with lots of interesting Victorinox Swiss Army history and lore:

Our Victorinox Swiss Army Brand Information page now answers those nagging questions about Victorinox that you feel you just must have answered.

• Where did the name Victorinox come from?
• When did they start making watches?
• How many different companies make "Swiss Army"?
• What was the first Swiss Army watch and what direction have the timepieces gone in since then?
• What are some historic dates in the history of Victorinox?