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In September I learned that Limes finally had a retailer in Canada. I e-mailed Steven Walker to find out its name and location and was quite surprised to learn that it was in my own backyard -- Rings Etc. here in Ottawa. Yesterday I had an opportunity to finally visit this store and see for myself what all the fuss was about. Put simply, I was impressed. I only had time for a cursory overview, but from what I saw I can only echo previous statements and say that these are very nice watches which appear to provide a heck of a lot of watch for the money.
Rings Etc. seemed to have the full range of the Nightflight/Cartouche models. You know the specs -- display backs secured by screws, screw down crowns and screw lugs; impressive cases which had a very hefty, solid feel (little tuna cans? :)). The modern Nightflight Pilot style did not do much for me (the dial was a little bland), but the Cartouche silver with the Guilloche dial and polished case was most striking. I think the price was $500 CAN, which seemed reasonable for the watch given the US price ($350 USD), and seemed a great deal given the watch itself.
The Cartouche makes for a rather substantive dress watch so it was a surprise to see the rather diminutive 2Hundert. I certainly didn't mind the size of this diver's watch -- I own a mid-size Tudor Sub myself -- but it just struck me as surprising given that almost everything else in the Limes display case seemed so substantive. Aside from the size, I couldn't get over the arabic nine being on its side. Other than that, the watch seemed very well designed and the dial and the markers could certainly be described as bold, which is obviously perfect for a diver's watch. It would probably be much more luminous than my Submariner.
The Tonneau Integral was interesting, but the style just wasn't for me, and I would prefer a shaped movement (or hidden). I can see why people like this watch, though. The case is great -- perfect size and shape.
The Pharo series was the real treat. The Pharo handwound SS, silver and black models, were exceptionally beautiful watches, but I also liked the Pharo Handwound SS/Gold. It was the perfect two-tone dress watch for those concerned with coordinating their metal buckles and assorted accoutrements. The Pharo reminded me of my cal. 49 TZLE with a bit of Lange thrown in for good measure. Again, very impressive. I think it was around $1000 CAN for the SS versions, but I could be wrong as I forgot to take note of the prices after I got distracted by the watches.
A friend of mine purchased an Omega quartz DeVille many months ago which retailed for around $1500 CAN. I had mentioned Limes but at the time Limes was not available in Canada and they didn't have the Pharo models. I really wish he could have waited. The Pharo was just so much more watch for the money.
The Outback was solid -- more of a function before fashion type watch a la Sinn. It seemed very durable. There was also the Principio-Flieger (or maybe it was the Principio-Titan) -- very serious German-looking watches. Not my cup of tea, but Limes seems to know how to make them.
The surprise of the day was the watch for women. I didn't realize that Limes made one, but there was the small Principia Lady's watch on display. It had a nice white dial, but was a little too sporty for my better half. I'd love to see a little Cartouche or Pharo model for women.
As for extras, the bracelet was quite impressive. It looked like my Minerva bracelet but was quite a bit cheaper at $260 CAN. The Limes deployant clasp looked like a quality product as well. Very solid. However, I really liked the Limes pens. At $140 CAN it was a little more than I thought it would be given the exchange rate on the US retail price ($80 US), but I really thought it was nice. Just like certain Limes models evoke Chronoswiss, this pen immediately reminds one of the classic Yard-o-Led designs (I have four Yard-o-Led pens and I must say that the pen compares rather favourably from what little I saw).
As I noted, Limes had a display case all to itself. There were plenty of eye-catching blue cardboard boxes that all had a very simple and understated elegance, highlighting the fact that most of the money is put directly into the watches (and pens). There was also a catalogue on display revealing the full line. The salesperson assured me that anything could be ordered in if I saw something I liked in its pages.
After leaving the store, I realized that I forgot to check out the chronographs ... or maybe I did that on purpose knowing that I would be forced to make a return trip. Ahh, the life of a WIS.
