u/Bangorzane

A watch for all seasons.

One of the most pleasing and distinctive aspects of the Oris BCPD Lou Gehrig is the light play from the brushed metal dial. Especially in low light, where it picks up the tiniest flicker and pings it back with interest. Gives it an ethereal quality that - for me - surpasses the artificiality of full lumed dials. This watch really could become an Oris icon. You don’t need to like baseball to love it.

Straum break from their dials inspired by nature to release a new line ‘built for’ nature. The materials, strap and movement are typically impressive but the design looks painfully generic. It bears a lot of similarities to the Ubiq Trek but is 8x the price. Am I wrong in thinking it’s underwhelming and overpriced?

The new arrival. Honestly mind-blowing the way this dial plays with the light. From steel grey to frosted metal to white enamel to champagne. The brushed silver + heavily domed crystal gives the dial greater depth than any of my pointer dates. The 2-4-6 numerals make it cleaner too - and the day numerals on the outer perimeter are larger and more legible than on the regular 40mm pointer dates. It’s a class act and I feel very lucky to have snapped up #0030 to mark 30 years in my profession. A special thing.

I’d been eyeing the Elge Chamonix for a year before this one popped up on the secondary market. The appeal lies in the clarity achieved by the deep ink black dial and large contrasting numerals that bear a strong similarity to the Glashutte Sea Q.

And now that I’ve picked it up and been wearing it for a month, the similarities don’t stop there, as the Chamonix is equally at home on summits and surf. That’s because it boasts 150m water resistance that helps it transcend its historic role as a field watch, beloved of those hitting the slopes, becoming equally capable as a holiday daily that can cope with proper swims in the pool or the ocean. The Incabloc shock protection gives added reassurance that this is not a watch to be babied.

I don’t gel with dive bezels. They can feel a bit extraneous for those of us who don’t plumb the depths. The Elge Chamonix gives you (desk) dive performance and clarity without any Jules Verne role play pretensions. Likewise, viewed as a pure field watch, it neatly avoids the military stylings that beset the sector, which can be off-putting for those who don’t want to play with toy soldiers.

It does come in two variants of lume: C3 and Old Radium. I know that some are put off by the latter - and see it as the kind of affectation that I’m trying to avoid - but the cream tones really help the watch to pair with a good selection of straps, giving it colourful summertime possibilities.

I’ve paired it here with: 1 - a Horween Chromoexcel strap in ‘Seaweed’ from Watchgecko (the teal and golden cream pair so well); 2 - a beige FKM ‘Breakwater’ sailcloth (also Watchgecko but can be purchased for a fraction of the price on AliEx); 3 - a steel grey Archer canvas strap, and 4 - an Atelier Romane nubuck strap in icy blue.

The lume on the Elge is really strong and long lasting, particularly on the deep filled ‘maxi’ hands. I have no problem reading this in a dark room after a 7 hour sleep.

And the movement has proper watch enthusiast creds - a reworking of the forgotten France Ebauche that feels solid, smooth and responsive to set.

More than any watch I’ve had on my wrist in recent years, this is a stunner that is flying well under the community radar. Making it even more special to own.

I’d love Elge to lean-in further to the Sea Q stylings and release a version with a dark blue or green sunray dial and white BGW9 grade A lume (with that pleasing blue glow). There’s surely more to come from this dormant brand that has been so purposefully awoken.