Suits

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Suits-season-2I must admit, I watch a fair amount of television. I have a few favorite shows, Such as Mad Men, Game of Thrones, and How I Met Your Mother. The series is ending for that last one, and I was looking for something to fill that void, a friend suggested I check out Suits. She said that I would like it, and it encompasses many things swell. She was right!

I was familiar with the show before, but I hadn’t seen it, so like a good entertainment junkie, I consumed the first two seasons in a matter of a week, on to the third the last week, just in time to catch up to season 4 returning on March 6th. Continue reading →

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For $33.4 million, you can (almost) be Bond, James Bond | Hemmings Daily

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Reblogged from Hemmings Daily by:

Aston Martin DB5
1963 Aston Martin DB5, bearing the registration plate seen in Goldfinger. Photos courtesy Miami Auto Museum.

As a globe-trotting superspy, James Bond not only had a girl in every port, but a car and maybe a boat or aircraft in every exotic locale too. That makes for quite the collection, and one such assemblage of vehicles associated with Ian Fleming’s best-known character recently came up for grabs, with a few strings attached: The buyer must take delivery of all 59 items as a single lot, the non-negotiable price is 20 million British pounds ($33.4 million), and a license to kill is not included. Continue reading →

Timekeeping 101: How to Read a Bezel

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Rolex 3185 Movement .jpgI have written a lot about watches, it is something I enjoy. I spend a serious amount of time reading about, looking at and playing with watches. I am always on looking at what is called “watch porn”, the same way one might go to Motor Trend or Hemmings to check out the motor in the latest corvette, I go to International Watch or Hodinkee to see the inner workings of the calibre 9001 in the Rolex Skydweller-oooh, aaah check out that Ssaros gear system!, look at those perlage’ bridges!

So with all of this writing about watches I’ve addressed a few tool watches as well, and I thought I should really do a How-to on using the bezels and complications of some of these watches. Well, the great guys at Gearpatrol have already done it for me. I found this recently, and thought it the perfect tutorial for How to be Swell readers. So I am sharing it here for all of you. If you want to read the original check it out here. I also suggest that you go visit the site and browse around, it is a great resource for all sorts of things from food and drink to watches, clothing, outdoor gear and personal care, they write about everything. So here it is the best guide to deciphering those cool looking rings courtesy of Gearpatrol.com: Continue reading →

A Swell Week With the Baume et Mercier Clifton Chronograph

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Clifton ChronographIts been a very cold week here in the Polar Vortex where I live, Well and in most of the US as well. I have been yearning for something to keep me busy, While trapped inside my Igloo.  My good friends at Baume et Mercier were Happy to deliver. I have been dreaming of all of the watches being introduced at the SIHH show, and what I want to see first, when I got a package containing the New Baume Mercier Clifton Chronograph. Their newest Clifton model is mine to wear for a week, how swell. Continue reading →

eone Timepieces: The Bradley

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Bradley WristLast week I got to open exciting box that I  had been waiting for, for some time. I few months ago I invested in a kickstarter project that seemed very swell. I also knew when I finally saw the piece, it would be blog worthy for sure. so here it is the eone Bradley.bradley blue

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The Calibre de Cartier Diver

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Calibre-de-Cartier-Diver-dialFor a long time Cartier has been over looked as a serious watchmaker. Although they are a top tier jewelery design house (my personal favorite at that), and have been making fantastic watches since the wristwatch was created, for many years their name was far from the lips of those discussing haute horology. That is certainly changing as of late, Carole Forestier-Kaspi is leading the Cartier’s watchmaking department into a new era. Every year they have been coming up with new and innovative complications and creating modern, wearable watches with fine in-house calibres. The latest masterpiece is the Calibre de Cartier Diver, an ISO-certified dive watch powered by the in-house 1904 MC calibre. Continue reading →

Merry Christmas from How To Be Swell

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Merry Christmas all you swell readers. My wish for you is to be surrounded by loved ones and enjoying your favorite holiday festivities. I love Christmas, and being a hopeless romantic I am always nostalgic for my favorite sights and sounds of the season. One of my favorite images this time of year is the big city shopping districts all decked out for Christmas, like those immortalized in movies like Miracle on 34th street, Christmas Story, and more recently, Elf.  You can imagine holiday shoppers bustling about carrying packages with large bows for that special someone, and Santa on the street corner ringing bells for the Salvation Army so those less fortunate can enjoy the Holiday as well.

Harry Winston Store in NYC

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The Baume et Mercier Clifton Complete Calendar

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Clifton Complete Calendar Blue DialWhat an absolutely beautiful watch from what is quickly becoming one of the best brands around. It is no secret that I am a huge Baume Mercier fan. They have been doing absolutely everything right lately, from design and craftsmanship to marketing and service. They really are growing into a powerful brand on the level with a number of the luxury makers out there, and at a better value than many. So, it will come as no surprise that I am going to rave about their new Clifton Complete Calendar.

Have a Swell Thanksgiving

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Happy Thanksgiving all of my loyal readers. This year I have many things to be thankful for, and I hope all of you do to. I found a holiday treat for all of you this morning, part of the inspiration for this blog, a short from Nick at Night called “How to be Swell”. I hope you enjoy, and I wish you many blessings this holiday season and stay swell.

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Sky-Dweller

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sky-dweller_326939_bs_0001_840x107013242183957712ZwyI have admittedly been on a Rolex kick for some time now, but frankly they offer a lot to talk about. This particular piece also happens to be one to dream about. New for Rolex is the moderately complicated Sky-Dweller, I have heard about this one for a little while and had the opportunity to play with one recently, and it is fascinating. The properly titled Oyster Perpetual Sky-Dweller is Rolex’s new flagship watch. I am not sure of the origin of the name Sky-Dweller, but it definitely sits above most of their line up. With a completely new calibre 9001 movement, the Sky dweller does more than your average watch. Continue reading →