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URWERK announces the end of series edition of their UR-105 CT, with the UR-105 TTH “Tantalum Hull”

Launched in 2014 as a successor to the foundational UR-103, the UR-105 was a more elaborate version of Urwerk’s satellite-disc, wandering-hours watch. After a seven-year run – it’s been replaced by the entry-level UR-100 – the UR-105 series will now be retired. Urwerk is giving the model a grand send-off with the UR-105 TTH, which has the front plate and lid of its case made of tantalum, the bluish-grey metal that Urwerk has only used in one other instance with the UR-110 TTH. Based the UR-105 CT Streamliner with its characteristic hinged lid, the UR-105 TTH is all about its case material. A dense metal with a distinctive colour that’s used for surgical implants, turbine blades, and even artillery shells, tantalum is difficult to machine and finish due to its hardness. Consequently, while tantalum has been used for watch cases since the 1990s, but it is uncommon. Urwerk is one of a handful of brands, alongside Omega and F.P. Journe, to use the metal for a watch case. Initial thoughts All good things must come to an end, and Urwerk is closing the chapter with aplomb. With the distinctive hue of tantalum, the case fits the sci-fi industrial spirit of the brand well. Striking and futuristic, the UR-105 is sleek in tantalum. The metal will make it substantially heavier than the standard steel version of the UR-105, which would make it less easily wearable. Priced at CHF77,000, or about US$86,000, the UR-105 TTH is 20% more expensive the base-model UR-105 CT i...

Within the hip-hop community the prevalence of Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, and Richard Mille is abundant. In a scene where competitive flair and one-upmanship is a key component, many rappers’ initial step into watches is to buy “buss-down” watches – whether iced out by the factory or aftermarket. But as this market matures, what we … ContinuedThe post Like fine wine, Cardi B’s watch collection is becoming more refined with age appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

First up, an introduction as to how this column is going to run and for that a high-end car metaphor is required. The majority of the timepieces that fill this site can, without too much of a stretch, be equated to wrist Ferraris, horological McLarens, an Aston Martin with tourbillons – you get the picture. … ContinuedThe post NEW COLUMN – Cheap Bastard: The Breda Of The Pack appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

The Hunter Valley, a couple of hours’ drive to the north-northwest of Sydney, would probably not be the first place that anyone would plant grapes if they were starting from scratch today. It can be intolerably hot and, while rain during vintage is not compulsory, it is a regular intrusion. As is hail. And, of course, if it is not raining during any vintage, there's drought. But, as Ken Gargett explains, the region regularly produces sensational wines, and two of his favorites hail from Tyrrell's and Brokenwood.

Kevin Pietersen was always a box-office cricketer with his swashbuckling, front-foot style making him one of England’s most gifted batsmen. During the course of making more than 8000 Test runs, including 23 centuries, the man known as “KP” faced down some devastating bowlers. “Shoaib Akhtar was pretty fast and Mitchell Johnson bowled that fast series … ContinuedThe post Leading the charge: Kevin Pietersen on saving rhinos and the Hublot Big Bang Unico SORAI appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Pros: Love the easy quick change strap systemScrew-in crown and 200m water resistance Sapphire dial and increased legibility  Cons: Wrist sizes smaller than 6.5ich won’t be able to enjoy the 45mm case size Some may find it to be too thick on the wrist Some may find it expensive compared to Defy 21 range Over All Rating: 8.4/10 Value for money – 8.0/10Wearability – 8.0/10Design – 9/10Build Quality – 8.5/10 If there is one phrase I don’t hear enough of, it’s “put the watch on your wrist”, as that is where it’s meant to go, and that is the best place to judge whether a watch suits you or not. Watches are immensely personal, and quite often how it wears and how it looks on your wrist is completely different to how a watch looks on a fancily posed, laid out and propped image on Instagram. Always try the watch on.  Reference : 95.9100.9004/01.I001 on a 6.5 inch wrist However, isn’t this the case today? We scroll through images, each getting perhaps a fraction of a second of attention, and even if we do stop to read the text, it’s a quick skim, and then, just as quickly, a comment is left, and without any further thought, we move on to the next shiny new thing. Before touching or even seeing something in person, a judgement call is made.  Reference : 87.9100.9004/03.I001 on a 6.5 inch wrist The Zenith Defy Extreme is one such watch where it was dismissed online too quickly because of a number (in this case the diameter), which many deemed too high up...

Tudor hit it out of the park at Watches & Wonders 2021 with the surprising pair of precious-metal Fifty Eights (in 18k gold as well as sterling silver), but it’s clear the brand is not done with the year yet. Tudor has just taken the covers off the Black Bay Ceramic. The new 41 mm diver is the brand’s first regular-production dive watch with a ceramic case, but more significant is the fact that this is Tudor’s first watch to obtain METAS certification, making it a Master Chronometer. Initial thoughts The Black Bay Ceramic is a surprise. Tudor hinted at a new launch recently, but given it just announced a partnership with French Navy, or Marine Nationale, I was expecting an “MN” dive watch with blue dial. That said, it was inevitable a ceramic dive watch was in the pipeline after. For one, the brand already had a ceramic case chronograph in the catalogue with the usually overlooked the Fastrider Black Shield. And more importantly, the unique Black Bay Ceramic One – essentially the forerunner of the Black Bay Ceramic – sold for CHF350,000 at charity auction Only Watch 2019. The Black Bay Ceramic One from 2019 The Black Bay Ceramic While inevitable, the Black Bay Ceramic is still very much welcome. Its aesthetic is a good one, managing to feel contemporary despite the all-black aesthetic having had its heyday about decade ago. I would have hoped for a 39 mm Fifty-Eight case, instead of the 41 mm that it is, but its dark colours will make the case appear sma...

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the iconic American 1921, Vacheron Constantin faithfully recreates the watch as if in 1921

As one of Vacheron Constantin’s most distinctive timepieces marks its 100th anniversary, the watchmaker rolled out a handful of jubilee models during Watches & Wonders 2021 for the occasion, most notably the extremely good looking American 1921 Collection Excellence Platine. But Vacheron Constantin had something else up its sleeve for the 1921’s century – something really special – a near-exact recreation of the vintage original from 1921. Christened the American 1921 Pièce Unique, the watch is a one-off created as a joint project by the brand’s Restoration Workshop and Heritage Department, overseen by Style & Heritage Director Christian Selmoni, whose long tenure at Vacheron Constantin means he is practically the brand’s institutional memory. The watch is more than just a visual replica – an identical case and movement is a given – but even the most minor of details have been reproduced faithfully, right down to the gold alloy of the case and period-correct vintage parts from its archives. Initial thoughts While the modern-day American 1921 is a fan-favourite, it necessarily omits some of the finer details of the vintage original, in order to cater to current tastes as well as production methods. As such, even the most-delicious Collection Excellence Platine edition can be critiqued, for the mismatch in hand colours or the seemingly misaligned seconds register. In contrast, the recreation is satisfyingly spot on, which give it an attractive, bona fi...

We take a look at the new Rado True Square Tej Chauhan collaboration in bold, vibrant and brilliant yellow after a week on our wrist.

The Tudor Black Bay Ceramic Master Chronometer is the brand’s first dive watch with a 41mm ceramic case with sandblasted finish, ceramic bezel insert, black dial and a display caseback. It comes with a manufacture calibre and a Master Chronometer certification from METAS.

Human creativity truly knows almost no bounds. Want proof? Check out this guy wearing a completely diamond encrusted watch as a scrunchie in the club, neatly pulling back his impressive mane of dreadlocks. Really, given the almost endless number of products specifically designed to manage hair, using an iced-out wristwatch is genuinely thinking outside the … ContinuedThe post Is it okay to wear a diamond-encrusted watch to tie your hair back? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

When Christie’s described The Legends of Time event in Hong Kong last weekend as “the auction of the decade,” they certainly talked it up. But it turns out that confidence wasn’t misplaced.  The auction achieved no fewer than 10 world record sales with the total tally coming to $34,850,855 USD – the best-ever result for … ContinuedThe post Believe the hype: Christie’s Auction of the Decade smashed records to net $34m appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Enzo Ferrari liked watches. And as Ferrari became more successful, merchandising became a thing. To protect both the name and reputation of his brand, Enzo struck a deal with Cartier that led to the Ferrari Formula collection by Cartier. Here Martin Green goes quite in-depth with the subject, even raising a holy ghost.

The L.U.C collection, as we know it today, is the fruit of Manufacture Chopard’s longstanding endeavors in fine watchmaking. Its existence began in 1996 with the introduction of the L.U.C 1860, a time-and-date-only watch that many deemed to be a magnum opus of classical watch design. The seminal timepiece was driven by the Geneva SealRead More

Tudor Marine Nationale rumors have been running rampant since the announcement. Here are four predictions we've seen and our thoughts on them.The post Our 4 favourite Tudor Marine Nationale rumours ahead of the launch tomorrow appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Konstantin Chaykin: Haute Horlogerie, With Russian Soul. By Alexey Kutkovoy. Chaykin.ru; €230 Just glancing at Konstantin Chaykin’s repertoire tells you that there must be many stories behind his watches and clocks – they are markedly out of the ordinary. To tell some of those stories behind the timepieces – and his own story – Konstantin recruited renowned Russian watch journalist Alexey Kutkovoy in 2019. Despite Konstantin being a perfectionist, Mr Kutkovoy had journalistic freedom. “I was not bound by his control, so I had the privilege to compose my own independent vision with some nice subjects discovered, and I’m happy he left that untouched,” mentions Mr Kutkovoy. The Joker Selfie made for charity auction Only Watch 2019 His life and work The result is Konstantin Chaykin, a wide-ranging book that’s both an overview of Konstantin’s first 17 years of watchmaking as well as the myriad tales about his watches and clocks. Konstantin Chaykin is 384 well-filled pages, laid out in an unusual design that befits the individualism found in his watches. Originally published in Russian, the book is now available in English in a limited edition of 1,000 copies. Mr Kutkovoy decided to present Konstantin’s story in two separate threads – a timeline and an evolution of Konstantin’s clock and watch inventions – that presents a detailed history in a most accessible way. The opened cover of Konstantin Chaykin The first section is a chronological narrative, ...

It started, like so many admirable ideas, in a pub garden over a few pints on a sunny day. Nicholas Bowman-Scargill, the Managing Director of the British watch brand Fears, found himself chatting about the effects of COVID on unemployment and how there were suddenly a growing number of people looking for work. “I started … ContinuedThe post Got a big job interview? Meet the brand loaning people free watches to help them to seal the deal appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

The Bulgari Octo Finissimo is well on its way to being a modern classic. Launched just seven years ago in 2014 and drawing off the sharp Italian geometry of the Octo Roma, it is a collection that has gone from strength to strength, breaking world records for thinness on average once every year. That’s right, … ContinuedThe post Why I bought the Bulgari Octo Finissimo: What the owners’ experience is really like appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Keaton Time Co. is another new brand from Singapore, that’s fast becoming a veritable hotbed of horological innovation with the likes of Zelos and BOLDR already making waves. Keaton’s debut watch Keris is unlike anything I’ve seen in a long time. You can forget about slim vintage, forget about creamy lume, hell, forget about the … ContinuedThe post MICRO MONDAYS: The Keris from Keaton Time Co. is a futuristic diver with a hypnotic dial appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

The new Eccentricity Réserve de Marche is Cyril Brivet-Naudot's second watch following his 2018 debut piece, the simply named Eccentricity. It builds on that foundation by adding complexity with the addition of a power reserve mechanism taking up real estate on both the front and rear of the watch. And it is simply, and traditionally, stunning as Joshua Munchow reports.

We update our picks on Big Date recommendations as the last one was way back in 2017. Here is this is our rather electic new picks.

Having proclaimed himself the “Master of Complications”, Franck Muller the man was once one of the most inventive contemporary watchmakers. He has stepped back from the business that bears his name – which is now known for its extravagant style – but the brand continues to have the occasional interesting complication. The Grand Central Tourbillon is one such watch, boasting a large, flying tourbillon at the centre of the dial. Offered in a variety of coloured dials with “exploding” numerals, the Grand Central Tourbillon is powered by an automatic, form movement that traces the shape of the brand’s signature Cintrée Curvex case. Initial thoughts Today Franck Muller is mostly associated with flashy watches like the Vanguard Skeleton Sapphire. But long ago Franck Muller himself debuted his first tourbillon wristwatch in 1984 – a Breguet-inspired watch with just “Franck” on the dial – the first of many tourbillons he would go on to create. The Grand Central Tourbillon evokes some of Franck Muller’s history with its unusual central tourbillon. The complication is rare, with only a handful of brands having accomplished a central tourbillon, most notable amongst them Omega and Beat Haldimann. And Franck Muller has made it more interesting – the movement is automatic with a four-day power reserve. As per the norm for the brand, the Grand Central Tourbillon is available in myriad colours and metals – some iterations almost indistinguishable from the...

Since January of 2016, secondary market prices of stainless steel Patek Philippe Nautilus models have surged in a fashion rarely seen. This phenomenon – and it is that – is exceptional for reasons including the relative age of the models involved, the magnitude of the surge, and the speed with which it struck. Here Tim Mosso takes a closer look at the current secondary market insanity of the Nautilus.