Car Journal: Luftgekühlt 4
/Here's my photo journal of Luftgekühlt 4, the annual Porsche pilgrimage event.
/ TOMMY
#LAWatchGang: April 2017 GTG
/One of the best #LAWatchGang GTG's yet with some amazing watches, some rare ones that you don't see a lot of, and great friends.
If you're in LA, a watch enthusiast and want to learn more about #LAWatchGang, please visit instagram.com/lawatchgang.
/ TOMMY
Travel Report: Solvang Easter Weekend 2017
/Headed out to one of our favorite places - Solvang, CA, for Easter weekend.
Succulant Cafe is one of Solvang's best restaurants and we enjoyed a delicious dinner here. The meat loaf is a must try.
Scenes from the next morning: Breakfast time with the IWC Pilot's Watch Chronograph, having a coffee and a smile, Æbleskivers are the breakfast for champions and just an bubble gum machine. Anyone got $0.25?
Some mini golf and trying on silly hats!
/ TOMMY
Watches & Thoughts: Nomos Club Campus 736 - The Ultimate Value Proposition
/Fresh from Baselworld 2017 is the new Nomos Club Campus 38 Nacht model, reference 736.
Here are some general specs and features...
It's 38.5mm, height is 8.45mm, weight is 60 grams.
The case and caseback are stainless steel, the crystal is sapphire glass. The caseback is mostly blank, and according to Nomos, leaving lots of room for an engraving.
The California dial, featuring a mix of Roman and Arabic numerals, is the best design feature of this watch. Being from California, getting a watch with the California dial is a must have.
The dial indexes and hands have a nice blue lume.
The movement is Nomos' own Alpha manual wind caliber with 17 jewels and 43 hours of power reserve.
On the wrist, the Club Campus at 38.5mm is perfectly sized. And it's really thin, so fitting it under a shirt sleeve is not an issue. Unfortunately I can't say the same of most of my other watches.
Finally, no review of the Nomos Club Campus is complete without mentioning the price. At $1,650 MSRP, this watch is extremely affordable. I really can't think of a better watch, with an in-house movement, and so nicely designed for less. This is my favorite watch release from Basel, and it's the ultimate value proposition.
What I love...
- Properly sized at 38.5mm
- Art deco style California dial
- In-house movement
- Extremely affordable
Not so much...
- Lugs are a bit long, typical of all Club's
- Wish there was an upgrade option for an exhibition caseback
/ TOMMY
Cars and Coffee: Malibu at Trancas Country Market April 2017
/Checked out Malibu Cars and Coffee at Trancas Country Market as every LA car enthusiast does every first Sunday of the month. Here are some photos...
Great vintage car sightings: BMW 3.0 CSL, Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing, a pair of Ferrari F40's, Porsche 1600 and DeLorean.
Great mix of vintage and modern here: Porsche 911R, Porsche 1600, BMW M4 GTS, Mini Cooper, 1980's Porsche 911, Porsche 1600 vs 911 GT3.
Jay Leno's car from the 1940's with an airplane engine, Maserati 450S, more of the Mercedes 300 SL and a Porsche 911R with Martini livery.
/ TOMMY
Watches & Thoughts: Tudor Pelagos 25500TN 2-Liner, The Ultimate Modern Toolwatch
/Today I'm sharing some thoughts on the original, first generation Tudor Pelagos 25500TN 2-Liner from probably the worst place to perform a watch review but most appropriate one for this specific watch - Big Bear Mountain.
This is the first generation Pelagos, with the ETA 2824 movement and two lines of text on the dial. Design-wise, I prefer this over the more recent generation with the essay written on the dial. It has a fully brushed titanium case with pointed crown guards. It doesn't have a single polished surface, indicative of its toolwatch nature.
One initial concern that I had was the titanium case and how scratch resistant it is. Generally speaking, while titanium is a stronger metal than stainless steel, it is softer and can be more easily scratched. I'm happy to say that after a full year of ownership, it's just as scratch resistant, if not more, than stainless steel.
The matte black ceramic bezel is easily my favorite part of this watch. The markers on the bezel also lumes at night time.
On the wrist, the Pelagos is pretty light due to its case material but still has a good, substantial feel to it that you know it’s a quality watch.
Some of you are probably thinking - this guy is crazy for taking such a watch snowboarding.
If you take away the brand, take away the price, by definition, these watches are functional tools that tell time. And the Tudor Pelagos is the ultimate embodiment of that. Yeah it's expensive but at the end of the day, it's a toolwatch and wearing it while snowboarding, doing whatever, it'll be just fine.
/ TOMMY
Baselworld 2017: My Favorite Watches from Nomos, Omega, Blancpain, Seiko, Longines, Tag Heuer
/Here are my favorite releases from Baselworld 2017.
Nomos Club Campus
Omega Trilogy Limited Re-Editions: Seamaster 300, Railmaster, Speedmaster
Honorable Mention: Omega Railmaster
Blancpain Tribute to Fifty Fathoms Mil-Spec
Seiko Prospex Diver SLA017
Longines Heritage 1945
Tag Heuer Autavia
Images are copyrighted to their respective owners.
/ TOMMY
Intro, Q&A: E92 M3 vs F82 M4, Black Bay Thickness, Massive Big Pilot?
/Is the BMW E92 M3 better than the F82 M4? Is the Tudor Black Bay thick? Why is the Big Pilot so big? And Speedmaster frankenwatches? Plus a proper intro.
/ TOMMY
Modify This: BMW M Performance and Lightweight for the BMW M4
/I think the BMW M4 is already a very good car from the factory, especially with the Competition Package. My whole goal for the car is to tastefully modify it, while keeping it as stock as possible, I wanted to add a few mods to make it mine and distinguish it from other M4's.
I added the BMW M Performance side blades and Lightweight front lip. It goes well with the M Performance carbon fiber rear spoiler and mirror caps that's already on the car.
Now the question is should I call it day here or add the M Performance rear diffuser? Hmmm...
/ TOMMY