Leatherman Tread

Now and again, an exceptional piece of engineering is developed and the Leatherman Tread is one of those. The term 'wearable' has become a noun over the past few years as tech companies develop what are either elaborate heart rate monitors or miniature smart phones in the form of wrist watches. As fascinating as these gadgets are, they're still far from being complete, functional products. The Leatherman Tread is a genuine wearable tool who's main purpose is mechanical functionality rather than electronic entertainment. 

The Tread is a bracelet made up of a variety of popular tools and the interchangeable links allow the owner to customise the content. It's available to buy as a stand-alone bracelet or with an optional watch which is the perfect addition to this already perfect tool. It's a Swiss-made quartz watch with sapphire crystal and rotating bezel for timekeeping. Water resistance is to 200m. The usual Leatherman quality is evident in the manufacturing 

The Tread is available in black or regular stainless steel. At the time of writing, bracelets are on sale for $175 in the US but there is no sign yet of the watch attachment on the retail market, let's hope it's not just a teaser. 

As a second prize option, Leatherman also sell the Clipwatch (shown below) for around $90, but it's still not a wrist watch and it's not a multi-tool. 

The Leatherman Tread has already made it onto this writer's Christmas list, and if it can't this year through lack of availability of the watch attachment, then next year is fine by me. Here are a couple of videos showing off the product. 

Omega Seamaster 300 James Bond 'Spectre'

To coincide with the launch of the new James Bond film, Omega have realease a 'Spectre' version of the Seamaster 300. Omega's James Bond editions have often been a bit cheesy in years gone by, but this time they've offered a refined and good-looking watch without any obvious 007 references. 

The watch features a black ceramic bi-directional bezel with hourly divisions which can be used for keeping time for a second time zone. It's not quite a full GMT watch as it doesn't have a 24 hour hand and neither does it have a date, and for those reasons it's probably not a serious challenger to the Rolex GMT Master. A unique feature of this model is the lollipop second hand which is different to the usual arrow head featured on other Seamasters. 

The watch comes fitted with a five-stripe NATO strap, giving it a 1960's look. NATO straps have made a comeback in the last few years and Omega are one of the last major manufacturers to join this particular party. Leather and steel straps are also available as alternatives but the NATO strap sets it apart from other modern Seamaster models. The sapphire crystal is domed in a vintage style and the hands and hour markers are coated with a Super-Luminova which has been coloured to look like yellowed Radium or Tritium. The Super-Luminova emits a blue glow in dark conditions. 

Water resistance is to 30 bar or 300 metres and the case diameter is a very sensible 41mm. The movement is Omega's self-winding 8400 caliber with a 60 hour power reserve. With a launch price of £4785 it's eye wateringly expensive, especially as it doesn't have a 24 hour hand or calendar. Part of the appeal is that the watch is limited to 7007 pieces, but the same money could buy something far more special or unique. That said, this is a very well designed watch with classic proportions and subtle vintage references. Unlike other contemporary Omega models, this one is likely not to date as tastes evolve and unlike previous 007 editions will probably become a genuine collectible. 

Oris Divers Sixty Five

New in 2015 is this beautiful revival of Oris' iconic 1960's design which first appeared 50 years ago. The new watch shares the retro looks of the original but has been increased in size from a case size of 36mm to a more contemporary (but not too large) 40mm.

The scratch-resistant convex sapphire crystal adds to the vintage appeal as does the water resistance of 100m. Oris must have been tempted to take the water resistance up to a more modern 200m or 300m but that would have required a far more robust crystal and would have added unnecessarily to the cost. This model seems to be mostly about faithfully honouring the original design and Oris have succeeded there. 

The original Tritium-filled hands and indices have now been replaced with Super-Luminova and very cleverly, a yellowed Radium colour has been used to give a vintage aesthetic of radioactive substances used in the past. The plastic 'Tropic Design' strap also adds to the 60's feel of the watch but may not be to everyone's taste. Seeing as conventional lugs have been used (not often the case with Oris), the strap is easily swapped with a generic replacement. A shark mesh bracelet would have been this writer's first choice for this design. 

With the price at EUR 1600 at the time of release, Oris have done well to produce something this special without adding too much to the cost. Compromises have been made in all the right places to keep costs down and to release a faithful reproduction of a vintage classic with all the benefits of modern watchmaking.