WRUK would like to wish all of its readers a Happy Christmas. It is thanks to you that the website has more than doubled its reach this year.
Happy Christmas from WRUK
For those that do not know, most of the content on this site is written by just one person, on top of a busy day job. It is thanks to the amazing response to the articles on the website and YouTube videos that the site will be continuing for at least another twelve months. Here are some of the highlights of the last year in affordable watches.
January
We started off the year with one of the editor’s personal collection: the Waldhoff Ultramatic tourbillion. It also became one of the first WRUK video watch reviews and still courts controversy almost a year later with strong views over the quality and longevity of higher-end Chinese-built movements.
February
February saw our editor make his first guest appearance on the Scottish Watches podcast. The guys behind the podcast are great friends and supporters of WRUK and it is great to see them going from strength to strength.
March
By March we had already covered what would become one of the biggest success stories of the year. The Hamtun Kraken H2 is a superb titanium dive watch that set new standards for its price point.
April
We were lucky in April to be contacted by Victorinox, who offered the loan of one of their new I.N.O.X. timepieces for review. By far the biggest brand to entrust is with a review sample, the Victorinox I.N.O.X. did not disappoint; proving to be worth every pound of its price tag.
May
May was a quiet month for watch reviews, but we did attract some controversy with the article “Swiss Made: So What?” which challenged conventional wisdom on the superiority of Swiss watches over those made elsewhere in the world.
June
June was a great month for sports watches, with Newmark’s 71 just being pipped to the post by the Isotope Goutte d’Eau, a stunning compressor dive watch with some unique design features that make it stand out from the crowd
July
In July, Vario loaned us their Empire dress watch and we fell in love with its balanced size, tweed strap and guilloche dial.
August
The best watch of August was the Vintro Le Mans 52 mechanical chronograph, which was so good our editor sold his Seagull 1963… He’s bought another since, though!
September
There have been lots of attempts to create a truly customisable timepiece, and Kustom’s approach is one of the best we have seen. The watch is made up of modular components, and the review sample has not been off Mrs. WRUK’s wrist since it arrived!
October
Lufbery’s trench watches came straight out of left-field and won plaudits from across the board. Their Kickstarter campaign recently concluded successfully so the watch will be making their way to readers’ wrists in the New Year.
November
Without a shadow of a doubt, the highlight of November was the WatchIt! watch fair down in Rugby. It was great to meet some of the people behind the brands that are covered on the site and put faces to the names. A great event by Joshua from WatchItAllAbout.com.
December
December saw us take a look at what has got to be our 2019 “Watch of the Year” – The Christopher Ward C65 Trident. A brilliant all-rounder, it won us over with its svelte case and vintage looks.
State of the Collection 2019
I thought it was a good idea as we approach the end of the year to take stock of my watch collection. This overview video answers the question “What does a watch reviewer buy for his personal collection?”
Happy Christmas, and here’s to 2020!
Here’s to another year of discovering great watches. If you do not already do so, we’d be most pleased if you subscribed to us on YouTube or Facebook – every bit of support helps the site continue to grow and bring you news, reviews and opinion from the world of affordable watches. Have a great Christmas, everyone!