In-Depth: Watchmaking Is Dead. Long Live Watchmaking!
Tough timely talk on tick-tock tech.
Tough timely talk on tick-tock tech.
SJX Watches
Founded just five years ago, Gorilla has already established a distinct house style, born of the its two founders’ eye for design. Notably, one of the founders, Octavio Garcia, was design chief at Audemars Piguet for over a decade. The latest from the brand is reassuringly familiar, channeling the style of its inaugural model, but a major step up in terms of form, function, and price – the Fastback Thunderbolt Chronograph. Equipped with a smartly skeletonised dial, it’s the brand’s first chronograph but retains with Gorilla’s recognisable case style. The case is multi-material: a ceramic bezel, followed by an anodised aluminium ring, and then a black-coated titanium case middle and back Initial thoughts Gorilla’s past offerings have been appealing for several reasons. Though evocative of some other well-known designs, its watches are original and handsome – a rare sight at the US$800 price range – and they are usually executed in unusual combinations of materials like titanium and ceramic. At the same time, the brand managed to make uncommon complication relatively affordable, namely the wandering hours display that’s most famously associated with Urwerk and Audemars Piguet in modern watchmaking. The latest offering is an extension of the brand’s strengths. Despite being its first chronograph, the Fastback Thunderbolt Chronograph is well put together, having a skeletonised front that’s intricate in detail and rich in colour that manages to pres...
Deployant
Bell & Ross partners with Patrouille de France for the new BR 03-94 with the French French Air and Space Force’s official aerobatic display team.
Time+Tide
Any fan of racing chronographs should be familiar with the Heuer Monaco “Dark Lord”. Introduced in 1974, this mythical all-black Monaco was clad in a PVD coating and powered by a hand-wound Valjoux 7740. Only a very small run of the “Dark Lord” watches were produced, making it amongst the most valuable Heuer watches today. … ContinuedThe post TAG Heuer revives the mythical Monaco “Dark Lord” for Only Watch appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Revolution
Tissot introduces a high-performance dive watch aimed to meet the needs of the professional saturation diver with an impressive array of technical features.
Time+Tide
What sort of watch does a veteran Aussie crocodile hunter wear? Well, Northern Territory Problem Crocodile Management wildlife officer Tom Nichols (how’s that for a job title by the way), caught a record 352 crocodiles in 2020, and in this intriguing story and short film from ABC News he explains how he goes about hunting … ContinuedThe post What watch does a veteran crocodile hunter (with only three fingers) wear? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Can you fly a plane? Nope, me neither. So why the hell are pilot’s watches so enduringly popular? More specifically how has the IWC Big Pilot retained such a relentless grip on the watch-buying psyche? The origin story of the IWC Big Pilot began in 1940 when the brand produced 1000 military navigators’ watches. These … ContinuedThe post VIDEO: The history of the IWC Big Pilot and how it became a stone-cold classic appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Quill & Pad
The Watches TV goes deep into explaining a resonance movement in an easy way. The quick answer to the question of what resonance is in horological terms is that it encompasses two independent escapements in one watch that influence each other to average out timing errors. This video brings horological resonance to life and makes it easy to understand.
Time+Tide
Longines have made a strong move to increase customer loyalty, while also underlining the inherent value of their Swiss craftsmanship. From next month, the brand has announced that it’s extending their warranty on all models equipped with a silicon balance-spring. The new five-year warranty will be valid for all automatic models purchased (not produced) after … ContinuedThe post Longines steps up their customer care with an increased five year warranty appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Hodinkee
It never went away, but it definitely slumped. And now, suddenly, the French watch industry is showing the green shoots of recovery.
Hodinkee
Click here for more photos of vintage watches, coffee, and cameras sitting on a table.
Hodinkee
A new color for an already vibrant line of dive watches.
Deployant
Lange also released new variants to the Langematic Perpetual Calendar and the Saxonia Thin as part of their Summer novelty releases. Details with prices.
Revolution
Deep Diving with the Rolex Sea-Dweller
Revolution
Patek Philippe’s president talks about the most important lessons from his father, the brand’s secrets to success, and how it will continue to stay relevant in the coming years.
SJX Watches
Announced by Seiko almost a year ago, the Custom Watch Beatmaker was an online contest to design the brand’s next sports watch. Seiko just unveiled the winner – which has been brought to life as a limited edition – the Seiko 5 Sports Custom Watch Beatmaker 2021. A surprisingly clean design, the winner has a gold dial circled by a “Pepsi” bezel. It was one of about 50,000 submissions, but it won by a surprisingly large margin of 8.5 million votes out of a 16 million-vote total – possibly due to a group effort by a forum dedicated to Seiko. Initial thoughts The Custom Watch Beatmaker contest was in many ways an official acknowledgment of the Seiko “mods” community that pursue aftermarket customisation of Seiko watches. It’s uncommon for a big brand to do so, though the contest was centred on the Seiko 5 Sports, the brand’s entry-level mechanical watch. But Seiko itself has changed the landscape since the contest was announced in October 2020. The brand has since launched numerous Seiko 5 Sports “crossover” editions featuring Japanese pop-culture themes, resulting in watches far from the average Seiko 5. In comparison, the contest edition seems less special, at least from an aesthetic perspective, since it’s basically rearranged the colours of a few elements instead of being an all-new design. Still, compared to the regular-production Seiko 5 Sports, the Beatmaker edition stands out. The gold, sunburst dial on a dive-style watch is uncommon, not to...
SJX Watches
Bell & Ross has long supplied timekeepers to various French military and police units, ranging from the bomb disposal team of the national civil defence agency to the tactical unit of the National Gendarmerie, GIGN. The brand was recently tapped to become the official watchmaker to the Patrouille de France, the famed aeronautics team of the Armée de l’Air et de l’Espace, the French Air and Space Force. To inaugurate the partnership, Bell & Ross has unveiled the BR 03-94 Patrouille de France, a limited edition designed in collaboration with the nine pilots of the aerobatics team. Cased in matte black ceramic, the chronograph has a dial in the colours of the French flag, along with the team logo at six o’clock. It is a 500-piece limited edition available to the public, while team members of the Patrouille de France will be issued with the same watch, but powered by a quartz movement. Initial thoughts Bell & Ross has made a variety of air force-unit watches in the past, as have other brands. Breitling, for instance, recently debuted an edition dedicated to the Red Arrows, the aerobatics team of the Royal Air Force. The Patrouille de France edition, however, stands apart in an important aspect: the members of the Patrouille de France – nine pilots and 35 engineers – are actually kitted out with an almost-identical watch. Produced in a run of 100 watches, the official-issue team watch is identical to the civilian version featured here, but it has a quartz movement ...
Revolution
Available in the Shop: Our Favourite Cartiers from Watchfinder & Co
Time+Tide
Since Euro 2020 begun, I’ve found myself actively modelling myself on Gareth Southgate even more than I have been over the past few years. The England manager has proven himself to be an elite leader in all respects: his kind demeanour, his quiet confidence, his ability to take responsibility and the way that he inspires … ContinuedThe post Watching the Euro 2020 final with the Hublot Big Bang e UEFA EURO 2020 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
I still clearly and plainly remember the day I first saw a Tudor Black Bay. It happened to be my first ever Basel. The year was 2012, and I should really paint a picture of the minutes leading up to the discovery. Because these were also quite memorable. They were the first moments ever spent … ContinuedThe post The Tudor Black Bay Bronze 58 is the first Tudor I’ve bought in over 5 years, these are the reasons why… appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Whether you’re keeping a close eye on the stockmarkets, laying girders at a construction site or swapping stacks in a server room, your love for watches (which I’m just going to assume because, well, you’re reading this) means you’ll want a timepiece on your wrist. And not just any timepiece; you’ll want something that both … ContinuedThe post Let’s go to work: The best watches for every job from white collar to tech appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Vacheron Constantin is one of the oldest manufacturers still producing watches today. A known member of the holy trinity, their timepieces have captured the eyes, hearts, and wrists of the world’s foremost collectors due to their distinct designs and exquisite finishings. Many brands have a tagline that sums up their manufacture, but Vacheron’s motto “one … ContinuedThe post Vacheron Constantin celebrates their creativity with Melbourne exhibition appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Quill & Pad
I’m not sure it’s possible to experience a Spike Lee film without being changed in some profound way. Lee loves writing with a pen, and Montblanc's new fountain pen in his honor is crafted in classic black resin with a sleek cap and decorated with Lee’s signature eyeglasses. Purple, the artist’s favorite color, also figures prominently.
Hodinkee
For a certain generation, the surf-style Shark was the ultimate starter watch. Here, a onetime owner explores the history of his childhood favorite.
Hodinkee
The Nintendo legend leaps into the world of smartwatches.
Deployant
Presenting the new A. Lange & Söhne Cabaret Tourbillon Handwerkskundst. Exclusive photographs with press release info and commentary.
Revolution
Lange unveils the seventh Handwerkskunst watch, the Cabaret Tourbillon Handwerkskunst, along with new executions of the Langematik Perpetual & Saxonia Thin
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