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Grand Rapids, Michigan
USA
Rover Haven is a maker of custom shell cordovan watch straps.
Light hearted writing about watches, life, and the intersection of watches and life.
The South African Defence Forces Knife is a Pioneer/Model 1961 Soldier SAK with a twist. It is the only Victorinox knife to appear with a NATO Stock Number engraved on its scale. Alox collectors, Pioneer enthusiasts, and soldatenmesser nuts will want to know about this rare Victorinox.
Read MoreKnow what SBB CFF FFS stands for? A week on the wrist with the superb official watch of the Swiss Federal Railway answers the question, and proves less is more. Here is a post for fans of mid-century Modern design, Swiss railway precision, and affordable watches.
Read MoreIn which the author concludes a two-part post on the Seiko SPB213. Follow along and see how the Seiko SPB213 performed as 24/7 timekeeping companion on a 4WD tour of Michigan’s beautiful Upper Peninsula. Does the mid-level Seiko dive watch prove as reliable and trusty as the Michigan landscape proves remote and rugged? Only two weeks on the wrist would tell.
Read MoreYou’ve planned a two-week camping adventure and realize you don’t own an “affordable” diver. What to do? Buy a Seiko, that’s what. Part 1 of a two-part post about Land Rovers, Jeeps, trailers, and of course the impressive Seiko SPB213.
Read MoreJust when you thought you’d seen every Confusing Fall Warbler, another variant pops up. Here we have the Hamilton 9965, an otherwise 9415-ish watch with a classic British 6B dial and American MIL-W-esque caseback details. Read on to discover all the details of this watch, a real platypus from Hamilton’s early 1990’s Khaki offerings.
Read MoreIn which a wondrously competent German brand from the past reboots itself with a shockingly handsome retro piece. A post for lovers of classy things that are a bit different, a little hard to find, and very cool. Forget watches that brand themselves as being for the “cocktail hour.” Show up with the Circula 1955 Handaufzug on your wrist and start an actual conversation.
Read MoreNeed a little help mounting your watch onto your Bund strap? Here is a handy step-wise procedure you can follow. Bring on the Bund adventure!
Read MoreWear a fixed bar watch but love Bund straps, too? Help has arrived. Some fresh thinking results in a solution that satisfies both constraints, looks great, and proves durable.
Read MoreCan’t decide between a full-sized Black Bay and the more classically proportioned Black Bay Fifty-Eight? Thanks to a great friend of the Rover Haven Blog, help is at hand. Read on for an unbiased comparison of these two great littermate watches from Tudor.
Read MoreThe author finally succumbs to the romantic allure of Bremont. Overhyped, over-marketed, overpriced fashion watches? Or a young company doing very cool things and pushing boundaries of technology and design? Perhaps the most unexpected week-on-the-wrist Rover Haven review.
Read MoreClever car and watch enthusiasts know that buying secondhand can be a great way to go. To prove it, the author spends a fall weekend in bourbon country with an old friend, Omega’s overlooked Aqua Terra GoodPlanet, and the last of the great Jaguar GT’s, the XK Coupe. Sometimes it’s hard to go wrong.
Read MoreThere’s something special about white-dialed watches. Race Bannon, Steve Jobs, and Jackie Kennedy wore them, and some of us lust after the JLC Master Control. Here we have a week-on-the-wrist review of a very attainable example, the Hamilton Jazzmaster Viewmatic.
Read MorePart 5 of a two-part series on collecting the Model 1961 Soldier SAK, in which the author considers the 7th main variant, shares his experiences finding them all, and discusses relative abundance, overlaps, and oddities. Ever wondered what kind of insanity results in pursuing all 47 issue years of the Model 1961? Read on to find out.
Read MorePart 4 of a two-part series on collecting the Victorinox Pioneer and Model 1961. In this installment the author explores the robust American military scout pattern knife, the Camillus Model 1760, contemporaneous peer to the Swiss military Model 1961. Need another collecting opportunity to drive your spouse nuts? How about a uniquely American army knife.
Read MoreThe third article in a series of two, in which we explore how the Pioneer/Model 1961 fits into the larger history of scout pattern folding knives, and descends from its great-great-grandknife, the Model 1890.
Read MoreIn which the author crafts a pair of handmade travel kits that harken back to the golden age of motoring and road trips. Here is a post for lovers of happy hours and tasteful accessorization.
Read MoreA personal post marking the end of yet another summer, the addition of a new dog, and a few new SAKs. Meanwhile, the Rover Haven Straps business model changes, kids grow up and leave, and old Land Rovers soldier on. The sunset picture is one I took on Lake Michigan in August, while hanging out with some new friends. When one door closes, another opens…
Read MoreIn which the Rover Haven SAK collection grows, and we discover what these four seemingly disparate things have in common. A post for seasoned and rookie Victorinox collectors alike.
Read MoreIn which the most popular Rover Haven Blog post ever is updated with a Missing Link watch, new information on the Hamilton 9721 RAF re-issue is brought forth, and some other Bean artifacts surface. Here is a post for classic 1980’s LL Bean freaks and lovers of odd watches.
Read MoreIn which the author documents possibly the last two new 9219’s he will ever need, and recaps the entire Confusing Fall Warbler flock.
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