Last week was big for G-SHOCK and Casio fans with several new releases from the brands, including a new Mudman collab with the Toyota Land Cruiser, new environmentally friendly editions of the GA2100, a mesmerizing new Oceanus Manta, as well as a vintage gold edition of Casio’s ultimate geek-chic accessory.
On the pre-owned side of things, this OMEGA Speedmaster perfectly toes the line between classic and avant-garde. If you’re ready to jump on the small watch train, we have this Tudor Sub, which is a 36mm version of the model featured in last week’s edition of “How To Wear It.”
Four Of Our Favorite Takes On Heritage Reissues
Hello, and Happy President’s Day to all our stateside readers out there. I hope you have been blessed with a break from the regularly scheduled work-day tedium for the next 24 hours. While this holiday is largely looked forward to as a bit of time to relax and possibly enjoy a sale or two, it is also one that, could be argued, is one of historical significance. If you’re catching my drift here, you would agree that it just might be a good excuse to dive into some modern interpretations of historically significant watches.
There is no shortage of heritage reissues within the watchmaking world, and there are just about as many ways to be successful in this overly saturated market as there are opportunities to go wrong. For my entertainment as much as yours, I have selected four heritage-inspired pieces that lean very much into decidedly quirky territory, and all have their unique way of carving out their means of success within the abyss of vintage remakes.
As you might have picked up on already, I am in the habit of beginning my musings with the piece that fascinates me the most, and Vulcain’s 2022 revival of its chirping Cricket series continues to be unequivocally one of my favorite modern remakes of vintage pieces released in the last few years. Do yourself a favor and take a minute to peruse some of the ads for the original models now – there’s a poetry about them all that is sadly missing from today’s advertising strategies.
The lasting charm of Vulcain’s Cricket, aside from its status as the original chirping alarm watch, is largely thanks to the strength of its origin story. Confronted with the technological problem of crafting an alarm complication that was both slim enough to fit within the small case of a wristwatch and loud enough to wake a deep sleeper, engineers at Vulcain were stumped on this feat for over two years. As fate would have it, a walk through the Swiss countryside would lead to a new source of inspiration for the engineers as the loud cries of crickets rose through the tall grass. This realization of the humble cricket’s power – its ability to create lots of noise despite its small stature – led to an unexpected breakthrough in invention, and thus, the Vulcain Cricket was born. Now, that’s the kind of vivid storytelling that just tugs at your imagination, huh? I will say I’m not the only one who gets a bit wistful when the subject of the Cricket is brought up – feel free to refer back to this article we ran in 2021 if you’d like.
While it will come as no surprise that the Salmon Dial limited edition asserted itself as the immediate victor of my heart when this line was revived, it has since sold out, so I will be directing my attention now toward another worthy contender, the Cricket Classique in black. This piece retains the endearing qualities of its vintage predecessor’s design and functionality – including the chirping alarm mechanism, of course – but adds contemporary upgrades where it counts. Seen here in the slightly larger 39mm variant, this modern sizing option makes for a unique blending of the classic aesthetic elements, namely the art deco sector dial and formal case design.
Other than its relation to one of the most influential automatic chronograph movements of all time, the Zenith El Primero, my fascination with this revival is its steadfast commitment to the bit. In the case of the Revival El Primero A385, Zenith embarks on a strict pursuit of verisimilitude to the original 1969 design. For my own silly fun, I spent quite some time clicking back and forth in quick succession between the reissue model and this 1970s vintage A385 we have in the Shop to spot how they align and diverge.
Upon first glance, the vintage and the Zenith Revival El Primero A385 are nearly identical – the largest point of difference is that the modern interpretation has an effect of upping the contrast of all the individual elements and functions on the dial, and to my eye, comes off as a touch more legible. The visually striking fumé style dial remains, as well as the tonneau case, 37mm sizing, and the El Primero movement within. All details considered, this watch is unwavering in its dedication to the spirit of the original, but its subtle upgrades bring it up to speed for the watch wearer of today.
While we’re more accustomed to seeing revivals from Rado that are eccentric, often to the extreme (like the retro-futuristic DiaStar), there is something that’s grown on me about this reissue that doesn’t immediately clamor for the spotlight. My courtship with Golden Horse 1957 has admittedly been something of a slow burn.
A modern reimaging of the first wristwatch that made Rado, well, Rado, the Golden Horse 1957 is a faithful interpretation of the original vintage model. While its classic and formal mid-century style isn’t an immediate shock to the system upon first glance, like quite a few other designs in the brand’s vault, its strength is in the execution of the details. The vibrancy of the green fumé-style dial is just killer, and it demands to be subjected to various angles of light to achieve its full effect.
All of the stainless steel components on this piece are meticulously polished and gleaming – which makes the “beads of rice” style bracelet and the true-to-vintage 37mm case just killer. If you’re looking for something a bit more subdued and classic yet interesting enough to invite a closer inspection, the Golden Horse 1957 is a piece that flies under the radar and is about due for its shot in the limelight.
Closing out this roundup with the most quirky reinterpretation of a heritage reissue, I will leave you with the limited edition variation of the Mido Decompression World Timer.
With this 2023 release, Mido captured the spirit of its iconic rainbow-dialed 1960s diver and reimagined it in a new sunset orange color palette. In addition to its aesthetic revamp, the brand also sprinkled in GMT functionality to really up the ante. Of course, the Decompression World Timer maintains the inner decompression scale of its namesake and has added a World Cities scale on the bezel that helps appeal to frequent travelers – making it a multi-functional, thoroughly modern tool watch with just enough mid-century appeal to connect it back to its vintage predecessor. Despite the additional functionality, this piece sports very wearable 38mm sizing and has a robust power reserve of 80 hours. Not too shabby http://www.chrono4usale.com.