Deployant
Throwback Sundays: Six Definitive Watches of 2019, from Our Archives
In this week's column of Throwback Sundays, we take a look at six definitive watches of 2019 that had shaped the horological scene this year.
Deployant
In this week's column of Throwback Sundays, we take a look at six definitive watches of 2019 that had shaped the horological scene this year.
Time+Tide
Some boardroom discussions would be fascinating to observe. The brand decisions presumably make sense at the time, but can appear a little odd to the rest of us. Every so often, however, a brand makes a bold play to distinguish itself from its price-point competitors and it kind of works. Sometimes because the brand chose … ContinuedThe post Drone pilots? Snooker players? Four watch ambassadors straight out of left field appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Quill & Pad
Loved the world over by collectors and watch brands alike, the Zenith El Primero has been keeping the world on time since 1969. And Rolex choosing to use the movement was high praise for Zenith indeed. The El Primero is still considered an exceptional chronograph to this day, and watchmaker Aston Tracy explains why.
Quill & Pad
One of the things that fascinates Martin Green about-diamond set watches is the craftsmanship needed to create them. This is a process that cannot be automated and a skill that requires a lot of time to develop. Here he highlights five of his favorites introduced in 2019.
Time+Tide
Many people who I respect in this industry have opined that 2019 hasn’t been a particularly exciting or fruitful year for watch releases … and I couldn’t disagree more. This, the final year of the decade, has given birth to an absolute plethora of new and innovative timepieces that have captured the imagination of many … ContinuedThe post James’ top 5 favourite wristwatches of 2019 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Deployant
The Tutima M2 Coastline is a great looking timepiece with a relatively slim profile despite its 43mm size. Cased in full titanium, the watch weighs significantly less than a steel counterpart of the same size. This means additional comfort and stronger corrosion resistance as well.
Revolution
Revolution editors and writers pick the most outstanding timepieces of 2019; but let’s not forget the people and companies behind these stellar creations.
Time+Tide
As one of the most important model series in the world today, the Rolex Daytona is used to living life in the spotlight. What that means is that there are very few things to say about the Daytona that haven’t already been said, but here’s a rundown of five milestone changes to how the Rolex … ContinuedThe post 5 things you never knew about the Rolex Daytona appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Quill & Pad
Ikepod was born 24 years ago and has since died not once, but twice (well, three times, sort of). It is now back for an overdue third coming. Joshua Munchow thinks that the third time's a charm for this iconic brand from the 1990s, too.
Quill & Pad
If the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève awards the horological Oscars, then the more cerebral Gaïa might be considered the horological Nobel Prize. And the three prize winners for 2019 are . . .
Time+Tide
For lovers of Haute Horlogerie, the term “fashion watch” is often akin to a cuss word. But one doesn’t have to dig very far into the history of fine watchmaking to realise just how much we have to thank fashion labels for, and how the best fashion watch brands are serious watchmakers. In the 1980s, … ContinuedThe post 6 of the best fashion watch brands that are serious watchmakers appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Hodinkee
From Talking Watches to Watch Spotting and Introducing to In-Depth, here are some of the year's highlights.
Deployant
Photographs from the Phase One XF IQ4 150 camera and Schneider Kreuznach Blue Ring lenses with commentary on image quality and how they were made.
Revolution
Revolution editors and writers pick the most outstanding timepieces of 2019, celebrating the best in a competitive field of many greats.
Revolution
Revolution UK’s Ken Kessler surveys the millennial winds blowing through the watch industry.
Time+Tide
I’ve certainly had less turbulent years. In 2019, I quit a stable job, hurled myself into start-up life and lived with my in-laws for 10 months (!) before moving into a house that can euphemistically be described as “a renovator’s delight”. I changed a gazillion nappies and failed miserably to persuade my two sons - aged … ContinuedThe post Luke’s 5 favourite watches of 2019 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
One of the iconic Swatch watches from its 1980s heyday was the Jelly Fish (ref. GZ010), which was unveiled in 1983, the same year Swatch itself was launched. A quartz movement entirely exposed in a clear plastic case – accented with brightly coloured hands – the Jelly Fish was a bestseller that encapsulated what Swatch was all about: no-frills but fun watchmaking. The Jelly Fish remained in production, in one form or another – there was even a COSC-certified chronometer limited edition (GK124) in 1990 – for over two decades. Now the spirit of the Jelly Fish returns as the Big Bold Jelly, essentially the same idea but in a larger watch case. The Big Bold Jelly features a quartz movement inside a Big Bold case, just like the recent limited editions created in collaboration with fashion label A Bathing Ape (BAPE). The case is a large 47mm in diameter, with the crown unusually positioned at two o’clock. But just as with the original Jelly Fish, the case is clear plastic, while the band is translucent silicone. And the hands are rendered in bright colours – red, yellow and blue – with a bit more colour provided by the gilded wheels within the movement. Key facts and price Big Bold Jelly Ref. SO27E100 Diameter: 47mm Height: 11.75mm Material: Clear plastic Water resistance: 30m Movement: Quartz Functions: Hours, minutes, and seconds Strap: Silicone with aluminium pin buckle Availability: At Swatch stores Price: US$110 For more information, visit Swatch.co...
Quill & Pad
Colin was wearing a steel watch with blue dial when the receptionist at the trading company he was working for, a chirpy lass straight out of the BBC’s 'Eastenders' soap opera, looked down disdainfully and said, “I hate watches with blue dials. They remind me of old men in pubs.” What happened after that can only be described as a case of gerontohorologyphobia: fear of inadvertently wearing an old man's watch.
Time+Tide
Mastering the creation of a material that was first conceived more than 400 years ago while simultaneously bringing it into the 21st century is no mean feat. But that’s exactly what Seiko has done with its silky smooth Presage Arita Porcelain Dial SPB093. Widely regarded as some of the nicest and most ornate on the … ContinuedThe post HANDS-ON: The stunning Seiko Presage Arita Porcelain Dial SPB093 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Deployant
We take a close look at the Charles Frodsham Double Impulse Chronometer Wristwatch and give you this detailed, analytical look at this very special watch.
Revolution
Readers roll up their sleeves to help us pick the year’s best timepieces – it’s a snapshot of what the watchmaking brands are doing right.
Time+Tide
What’s the single most important component that dictates whether a new watch will be lauded or loathed by enthusiasts? Personally, I think a timepiece’s dial is the ultimate barometer of whether or not it’s a success. It’s what we look at most, and a beautiful dial has the ability to capture the imagination. There have … ContinuedThe post Put a smile on your dial: 5 of this year’s best new dials appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Revolution
A watertight case will protect the movement in most instances, but some manufacturers have gone even further, by sucking out all the air from within!
SJX Watches
Breguet is often at its best when it does traditionally styled watches with a twist, something exemplified by the Classique 5175 limited edition made for its Tokyo boutique in 2017. The design was classical, but the dial was blue enamel, instead of the usual white (or occasionally, black). This year Breguet revived the same look – albeit with a date window – for the new Classique 5177, once again in blue enamel. A longstanding model in the catalogue, the Classique 5177 was launched in 2006, but in more traditional livery – white enamel, or guilloche in either basketweave or hobnail. The latest iteration, however, is the most striking of the lot, managing to be both traditional and different. Formal dress At 38mm by 8.8mm, the case is perfectly proportioned as a modern dress watch; not too big and not too small. Like all Breguet watches it has long, narrow lugs, which give it a slightly larger footprint than its dimensions imply. On the wrist the watch sits graceful and flat, proportions that give it a look of proper formality, especially when combined with its restrained design. The profile of the traditional Breguet watch case, with a fluted case band and soldered lugs All the details of the new 5177 are old school, inspired by 19th century Breguet pocket watches. The obvious ones are the Breguet-style numerals and hands, while the less obvious, and more charming, elements include the star-shaped minute markers and the Breguet “secret” signature above six o’c...
SJX Watches
Before the monumental Grand Complication was launched in 2013 – essentially a wristwatch remake of a pocket watch sized like a pocket watch – the most complicated A. Lange & Söhne was the Tourbograph. Launched in 2005, it combined a split-seconds chronograph with a tourbillon regulator as well as a chain and fusee. A limited edition of 51 watches conceived as a tribute to the Günter Blümlein (1943-2001), revered for having reestablished A. Lange & Söhne after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Tourbograph was powered by the L903.0 movement, made up of 465 parts, excluding the tiny chain. Cased in platinum, it was the original Lange uber-complication; a later edition of 50 pieces had a honey gold case, followed by an even more complex version with a perpetual calendar. Same but different Level up But Lange went one better and made a singular example of the ultimate Tourbograph, which was the most expensive Lange at the time. This Tourbograph was a unique piece set with 202 diamonds on the case – including one brilliant-cut diamond on the crown – and 175 on the bracelet, for a total of 377 diamonds weighing 40.6 carats. Diamonds aside, it is also unique as the only Tourbograph known that’s fitted to a matching platinum bracelet. Unveiled in 2009, it was made for Dubail, destined for its flagship store – which opened just the year before – on the Place Vendome, the posh square in Paris that is home to the Hotel Ritz and grand French jewellers like Cartier and...
Quill & Pad
The quintessential sports tourbillon, the Richard Mille RM 027 RN, officially debuted at the 2010 French Open on the wrist of that year’s champion, Rafael Nadal. It was specifically created to stand up to the punishment of the tennis court. Then Richard Mille introduced the RM 27-02, which is even more high-tech, mechanically resistant, and expensive than the first edition. Read on to discover why.
Quill & Pad
As read by you, here are the top 10 most viewed articles on Quill & Pad in 2019. There are likely to be a few surprises. Drum roll, please: in no particular order, our top ten most viewed articles of 2019 were . . .
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