|
|
| Welcome to 3T! Please take the time to register and join in on the friendly,knowledgeable watch talk.Please note that not all registrations will receive an immediate activation e-mail.Those who do not receive an immediate notification will be activated manually within 48hrs. by an admin. without an e-mail activation url sent to you,you may then sign in using your username and password,if you feel there is a problem please e-mail us at timetechtalk@hotmail.com and include your name and username and we activate your account.Thank You! |
| Moderated by: 3T | ||
| Author | Post | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
stew77 Admin 
|
Well...Peter at Helson surprised me with international overnight shipping and the Fedex guy came knocking on the door early in the morning with this beauty in a box. Absolutely love it!!!!  The Brown dial combined with the Bronze is spectacular looking. The dial is a really mellow, chocolate brown that really responds well to a wide variety of lighting...it is simply gorgeous, and will play so well with the Bronze at is begins to darken and develop patina!). A nice surprise for me anyway was the fact that the Bezel insert is also a nice deep Brown and plays so well with the dial color (In reviewing the pictures on the website, I thought that the bezel was going to be a true black...and even in looking at the pics I took it does look a bit black...very hard to capture). And that Brushed Bronze Case (Yes, Peter has chosen the UNI 5275 Bronze which I'm excited about...in this fresh, brushed state, it really has a gold look to it out of the box which looks good, but I cannot wait to get the patina going on this case as what I like most about this Bronze is the deep, dark, patina that develops with time and use...what a LOOKER...  ...I know that you guys know Peter has done a great job with this one on the ss Helson Shark Divers, and this Bronze case is no exception.As great as it looks, it is also so well built with very solid construction, excellent machining, solid and precise 120 click bezel action, and very nice crown action that screws down cleanly and solidly and winds so smoothly as well. I also really like the hex bolt lug fasteners, which are a very nice touch and will prevent having to wrestle with screwdrivers and possibly scratch a lug when changing straps. Great total package! You guys all know the specs and dimensions on this one...the only thing I will point out since the Shark Diver has had different movements in its lifetime, is that the Bronze version is driven by the ETA 2824-2 with incabloc shock protection (so I'm assuming 'Elabore' grade here, but have not confirmed with Peter at Helson). I'm pretty sure you guys like pics, so here are some of the 'factory fresh' brushed Bronze on the stock leather strap (also comes with a nice quality rubber strap that looks identical to the Hirsch Extreme Rubber to me). I will be exploring some different strap options with this beauty.         |
|||||||||
|
leeye 3T WIS
|
Great watch! I'm waiting for mine to arrive as well. From what I know all bronze Sharkdiver should be sold by now (limited numbers). |
|||||||||
|
oagaspar Site Founder 
|
Congrats Chris...that's hot! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95SYdjRVCR0 |
|||||||||
|
IanM 3T WIS 
|
Chris - nothing beats a good real life wrist shot... Thats a BEAUTIFUL watch! Congratulations! IanM |
|||||||||
|
azpops 3T WIS 
|
Man, Congrats!!!!....Absolutely Love It!!!!...And I'm sure you know that your Brown Dial Shark Diver is already "SOLD OUT".....Yeah!!!!!.... And yes, I agree that the combination of Team Helson and Fed Ex's shipping is "Ridiculously Efficient and Fast"....  Jan 19th p/u 5:28PM Yuen Long, HK Jan 20th del 9:30AM Tucson, AZ................  Lance BTW, don't forget to post some photos as the color starts changing!!!.... ....That would be really great to see!!!!PPS I wish I could take photos like you'all!!! Last edited on Fri Jan 28th, 2011 01:39 am by azpops |
|||||||||
|
edwardschmedward 3T WIS 
|
Lovely, Lovely, Lovely! big_eyes.gif |
|||||||||
|
Paxman 3T WIS 
|
Nice Chris! Are you gonna accelerate this one or go natural? |
|||||||||
|
Skipdawg 3T WIS 
|
Very nice congrats and enjoy. |
|||||||||
|
stew77 Admin
|
Thanks for the kind words guys!!! Peter at Helson has done a great job on these, and according to him, this is the first one to arrive in the hands of a customer. Lance - I'll definitely take pics as the case darkens and develops patina. Mark - Well...I'm very tempted to accelerate this one a bit...right out of the gate it is a bit 'gold'. Considering this is UNI 5275 Bronze, it makes me think that Anonimo pre-conditions/pre-ages their bronze cases with some kind of process prior to releasing them. Anyone know if this is the case? |
|||||||||
|
bigrustypig 3T WIS 
|
I love it, Chris. And for sure as time goes by and the watch gets exposed to various conditions, the color will just age marvelously. Big Congrats, amigo! |
|||||||||
|
Jeep99dad 3T WIS 
|
Congrats Chris on another great piece! You are on a roll already after barely a month into 2011 :) Itlooks wonderful, I think the patina will make it only better! It's amazing how 'gold" it looks now... very different from the Moray Wear it in good health! |
|||||||||
|
watchdaddy1 3T WIS 
|
Damn Chris u r on a roll.CONGRATS bud another Bronze, looks as if 2011 is the year for Bronze. |
|||||||||
|
Hammerfjord Moderator 
|
Bravo amigo! This was the ultimate version at first view and at second view: You been lucky to get it at time |
|||||||||
|
stew77 Admin
|
Jeff, Brice, William, & William !!!! Thanks guys!!! Yes...it does appear that 2011 is a bronze year...definitely several manufactures (both big and small) joining little old Anonimo in producing Bronze cases this year. |
|||||||||
|
krethk 3T WIS 
|
Great looking watch!! I have a Bronze with a blue face coming in soon! Will post some pictures when I get it. Wear yours in good health! |
|||||||||
|
Veritas99 3T WIS 
|
Congrats, it's a great looking watch and color combination!  Can't wait to see how it ages. Mike |
|||||||||
|
stew77 Admin
|
Thank krethk and Mike for the continued kind words on the Bronze Shark Diver. krethk - please post up pics of your blue face Bronze when it arrives!!! Looking forward to seeing that one too! So this weekend, I spent a little time getting the patina going on this one. The most interesting thing that I noticed is that the boiled egg in a ziplock technique that worked really well on the Bronze Moray didn't work nearly as well on the Shark Diver case (I could really only get the case to a deeper, more reddish color with that technique even leaving it in the bag for a long time). With the Moray, the egg in the ziplock bag was a very progressive process, in that the longer the case stayed in the bag, the darker things got. My theory is that the blasted bronze finish on the Moray is essentially more "opened-up" to the environment than the brushed case on the Shark Diver...just my thoughts, but who knows? In order to get the case headed to the darker patina that I prefered, I decided to actually go a step further (and I really have no interest in using chemicals on my watches at all, so all of the many options using chemicals were completely off the table). For me, it was still the egg or salt water for consideration (man I'd love to have access to an ocean, but with the nearest ocean thousands of miles away....). So, I went a step further and put the entire watch case into the mashed hard boiled egg to see if that would work...and it did, with the bezel taking on color quite a bit faster than the case. With that information, I heated up an egg yolk until hot and thick but not fully cooked solid since I still wanted "smearability" (really not sure why just the yolk, as I've heard that sulfer is present in both the white and yolk, but that's what I did). I then smeared the yolk all over the watch case and monitored progress. That is about it!!! Please keep in mind, I do not guarantee this process, and your results may vary!!! Here are a few before and after shots for your enjoyment:    I'm liking the move away from the more 'gold' look, to the much darker patina myself!!!  Last edited on Sun Jan 30th, 2011 01:53 pm by stew77 |
|||||||||
|
Nordstrom 3T WIS 
|
That is outstanding...a nice and even patina. Well done. I salute you for having the courage to submerse your new watch in egg yolk. It looks great. Erik |
|||||||||
|
bigrustypig 3T WIS
|
Darn it, Chris!!! Now, I have to put a bronze watch on my radar. But I think if you do egg process a few times, it can only add to the patina in a progressive way. Nice look, amigo!!! |
|||||||||
|
IanM 3T WIS
|
bigrustypig wrote: Darn it, Chris!!! +1, mate. Looks great! |
|||||||||
|
FnuSnu99 3T WIS 
|
Congrats! Great looking watch you got there. And a really nice combo with the bronze/brown. Also liking the patina towards brownish-effect you got going. Looks great! |
|||||||||
|
stew77 Admin
|
Erik, Jeff, Ian, and FnuSnu...Thank guys!!! Jeff - I would agree...the process should be progressive as one continues to do it, and I would say the process has definitely been progressive on the Bronze Moray which has a blasted finish on the bronze. BUT, I did get a bit of a head-scratching moment when I did another round of "smear hot egg yolk" directly on the case, and I think the result was actually a slight lightening of the case  . hmmm....I will say the case look shown above had already had a few hours of exposure in a sealed ziplock bag with the mashed up, freshly hard boiled egg (note...egg not touching the case...just sealed with the watch case in a zip lock bag). With the slight lightening of the case that I got on the most recent round of smeared egg yolk, I'll probably try another exposure of 'mashed egg in the ziplock', and see what the result is. I say all that to say, this is a process with at least several variables, and some experimentation, so your results may vary!!! I still prefer to stay with the egg, and normal use and exposure for getting the patina to develop...I know that people use 'liver of sulfur' for getting some very fast and dramatic effects on bronze and copper and other metals...just not for me. |
|||||||||
|
Gregger 3T WIS 
|
Congrats on the new one and love the bronze |
|||||||||
|
Pearlmanz 3T WIS 
|
Great looking watch, would love to buy this same model with the white dial and blue markers!!! |
|||||||||
|
leeye 3T WIS
|
my take of the Helson Sharkdiver Bronze watch with the exact same brown dial combo and croc strap, and a snapshot beside the Kazimon Bronze.    Last edited on Fri Feb 18th, 2011 08:00 pm by leeye |
|||||||||
|
leeye 3T WIS
|
  |
|||||||||
|
zepp21 3T WIS
|
Drool_27.gif.......enough said. |
|||||||||
|
bigrustypig 3T WIS
|
Chris/Leeye, those Helsons in bronze really look great. If I owned one, maybe I'd go dark brown croc or dark brown shark leather. In shark leather, all the elements would be complete. Maybe one day, somebody make and sell mesh in bronze......drool.gif |
|||||||||
|
leeye 3T WIS
|
that's a very good idea! |
|||||||||
|
Axelay2003 3T WIS 
|
I really like how the patina turned out. The brown dial is an excellent choice with the bronze IMO. Great pics! |
|||||||||
|
stew77 Admin
|
Thanks for the continued kind words and congrats guys!!!! The Helson is sweet! leeye - love the pics of yours, and it looks great on that croc strap!!! Also love the Bronze Kazimon 1500......Would love to see more detailed pics of that one as I've only seen a couple pics of the 1500 in Bronze!!!Jeff - good call on the croc or shark combo... ...I have actually been considering a dark brown shark strap for this one... |
|||||||||
|
leeye 3T WIS
|
roger that. i'll take more pics of both watches come this weekend. |
|||||||||
|
blbarron 3T WIS 
|
Great looking timepiece! Peter did a great job with this one, another winner for sure. |
|||||||||
|
mattnatti 3T WIS 
|
congrats on a hot watch. i love the chunky industrial look of the sides and the classy, elegant look of the bronze and brown. nice pick up. |
|||||||||
|
azpops 3T WIS
|
zepp21 wrote: Drool_27.gif.......enough said. Yup!!!.... Lance |
|||||||||
|
edwardschmedward 3T WIS
|
Hey Chris... I have bathed my bronze Shark Diver in all manner of hot egg solution, and hardly have a change of tint! What were your chickens eating??? |
|||||||||
|
FnuSnu99 3T WIS
|
Love the bronze shark diver! Looks great and congrats! |
|||||||||
