2016 has been a turbulent year. We lost many celebrities right from the get go in early January, and even in the last week of December, the Grim Reaper claimed two more. But for us at Deployant, we have enjoyed considerable success. Our numbers have increased multi-fold. Thanks to you, our loyal readers and supporters. And this year, our top 10 most read posts are as follows…we will not hold anyone in suspense, and start at no 1.
Click on the title links to read the full articles.
No. 1 Review of the new Rolex Explorer
Perhaps not a surprise, but the new Rolex Explorer is at the top spot. Incidentally, this review article is also the top performing article on our site for all time, edging out the Swatch Sistem 51 Review to second position.
Rolex has exercised great restraint in the update of the Explorer. And the result was a watch which was an improvement over the previous version. Curiously Rolex chose to retain the reference number for the new Explorer as Ref. 214270.
The Rolex Explorer Ref. 214270, announced in Baselworld 2016.
We were impressed also that Rolex have maintained the retail price at a relatively affordable level. Retail is S$ 8,770 incl GST.
No. 2. Baselworld Press Release of the Seiko Pressage Automatic Chronograph
Interestingly the Press Release for the highly popular Seiko Pressage had more views than the full hands-on review. We do note, however, that we were one of the first to publish the release, as our News Editor scoured the Seiko Press Site, and found the release before Seiko PR sent out the release to the media. It also stands as our all time no. 3 most popular post, just behind the original Sistem 51 Review.
Again we were not really surprised with the popularity as this is a great value leader from Seiko. Each dial version is limited to 1000 pieces and priced at € 2,500 for the enamel dial version and € 2,800 for the lacquered dial.
The enamel dialed version of the Seiko Pressage Chronograph which was announced with the enamel dial and a lacquer dial.
We also did a full review of the Pressage Automatic Chronograph which is found here.
No. 3. Spot the Watch: Jason Statham
Our ever popular and still the totally original Spot the Watch. Jason Statham takes the top honours for the best STW post for 2016. And no 4 in our list for all time favourite posts. Unlike many other celebrity watch spotting columns, we only focus on watches on the wrists of celebrities who are not sponsored by the watch brands. A little (or a lot) more effort, but we think its worth it.
In this article, we spot Jason’s watches in the movie: Mechanic Resurrection. We know him to be quite the WIS, and we spotted him wearing the Omega Speedmaster, IWC Aquatimer 2000 in this movie.
No. 4. Spot the Watch: Brad Pitt
Another celebrity WIS we spotted some quite nice watches on is Brad Pitt. Our article of April 19, takes position no 4 for the year, and no. 5 on our all time list.
Brad Pitt with his Lange 1 Timezone. Picture (C) INFphoto.com
In this article, we spotted Brad in various photographs sporting the Patek Philippe Ref 5205, the Cartier Tank à guichet, the Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse and the Lange 1 Timezone.
No. 5. Review: Rolex Air King
Another Rolex full review takes position no. 5. The Air King full review. Again not a real surprise. Rolex is a very popular brand and the Air King is their entry level sports/tool watch.
A closer look at the watch dial.
The dial evoked a polarity of views: some loved it. Others hated the mishmash of colours and texts. We loved it. And consider it one of the great Rolex tool watches. The entry level price of S$ 8,320 inclusive of GST is very modest, we think. And it comes with a soft iron protection to boot…a modestly priced Milgauss!
No 6. Review: Tudor Black Bay Dark
Interestingly the Tudor Black Bay Dark pips out her sister the Black Bay Bronze by a very small margin. In our full review, we found the dark has its own secrets, and therein lies her charms. We were promptly seduced. Read our full review for the account of her charms.
The Tudor Black Bay Dark. Shown here with a dark steel bracelet or a vintage black leather strap which comes with an additional black fabric strap.
The Tudor Black Bay Dark remains the most expensive of the Black Bay family at S$ 5,688 incl GST, for the version in a strap (both leather and fabric are included) vs S$ 4,608 for the Red/Blue/Black versions and S$5,472 for the Bronze.
No. 7. Review: Tudor Black Bay Bronze
Next up, the Tudor Black Bay Bronze taking position no. 6. Bronze was a popular material for 2016. But for us, the Tudor Black Bay Bronze takes the cake as one which we pined deeply for the moment we set our eyes on it in Baselworld.
The Black Bay Bronze looking regal on the author’s wrist, with bespoke shirt and suit.
The price point is well chosen by Tudor, coming in at a very modest S$5,472 incl GST. The watch comes only with a fabric and leather strap.
No. 8. Review: Omega Speedmaster CK 2998
And in position no 7, we have the Omega Speedmaster CK 2998. A very handsome watch, from the very popular Speedmaster collection.
The Speedmaster “CK2998”.
The Speedy CK2998 is a real stunner. The combination of “Panda” style dial, in blue and white is drop dead gorgeous. The retail of S$8,400 inclusive of GST is rather reasonable, and we were told that all 2998 examples have been snapped up.
No. 9. Review Seiko PADI SRPA21
Seiko’s return to what is popularly known as the Turtle is placed at position no. 9. Tthe SRPA21 looks like a premium product. Feels like a premium product and built like one. But carries a very modest price tag of S$ 667.70 including GST. We were a bit lost for comparisons in our Competitive Landscape analysis, and we actually skipped it as at this price level, frankly there is no competition.
The Seiko PADI Automatic Diver SRPA21, aka Turtle.
As a special mention due to the exceptional value of the Seiko PADI Automatic Diver SRPA21, it gets our “Just go buy it already” award.
No. 10. Spot the Watch: Ben Afleck
And in the final spot, comes in our STW on Ben Afleck. In our article we spotted Ben being the WIS and wearing Rolex, Lange and Breguet. And also the Batman’s valet, Alfred played by Jeremy Irons sporting a Breitling for Bentley 6.75 Midnight Carbon Chronograph.
The Breguet La Tradition was one of the most difficult spots we managed to pull off. We correctly spotted a Breguet La Tradition on the wrist of Ben Afleck in the movie Batman vs Superman. We published the article on April 5. And many other celebrity spotters also followed suit after our correct identification. Our spot was acknowledged by Breguet themselves on April 18.
Some further thoughts
There you have it. Our top 10 posts of 2016. You told us you liked our full reviews (6 out of the top 10) with hands-on analysis, high resolution photographs and competitive analysis. We will continue to make our strong efforts to increase the number of such reviews and endeavour to maintain the high standards expected and provide you with insights.
Also, our Spot the Watch column (3 of the top 10) has once again proven to be very popular. We will re-double our efforts to continue to maintain our leadership in the celebrity spotting ranks.
Interestingly the next two most popular posts are just a few views behind no. 10, and are the Press Release of the Seiko X Padi Prospex, followed by the Review: Rolex Daytona Comograph and Review: Seiko Spring Drive 8 Day Power Reserve.
Thanks for a great 2016, and we look forward to an even better 2017.
Happy New Year!
