Ever since I started collecting Wakmanns about three years ago, one in particular has occupied my mind: the Big Boy. I think of it as the sporty cousin of the now-famous-and-much-in-demand triple date. It shares the same lovely black-white-black aesthetic, the square-striped steel furniture, and the "colour pops" that embody the Wakmann aesthetic. The dials are, in many ways, reverse images of one another (for example, the furniture on the Big Boy is black stripe on white with tritium lume horizontal on the interior edge; while on the triple date, it's tritium lume on unpainted steel. But there are important differences, the most significant being the Big Boys oversized diving bezel, the larger case (40mm, hence the "Big Boy" designation), the nested pushers, the two-tone subdials, and the most iconic element: the triangular orange sweep-second. I entertained a few candidates in the past, but they all had disqualifications. Most were chrome-on-steel cases (I wanted more uncommon all-steel model), others lacked the orange sweep-second (it's white on some models), others were overpriced (above my $2500 limit), and others lacked the Valjoux 7730 movement I was after. I am happy to say that I finally found what I was looking for. It took a little TLC from Brendan Hoey to bring the movement back to fine fettle, but a worthwhile investment, I should think! Interesting note on this one: the dial (which is all original) was actually printed slightly off-centre, but I think this only adds to its uniqueness. As a bonus, I found an Italian shell cordovan one-pass Zulu strap from a local(ish) strapmaker that complements it perfectly. And here's my triple-date, for comparison. All good things come to those who wait.
Nice, very nice!? Congratulations... What's the size of the big boy? Case lugs look sharp, and great dial too!
Boi, I’m a big fan of Wakmann - great find. It looks like it was worth the wait. And now I have another Wakmann reference on my radar.