Deployant
22 years on: I still remember the late great Günter Blümlein
October 1 2023 (today) marks the 22nd anniversary of the death of one of modern horology’s greatest personalities: Günter Blümlein.
Deployant
October 1 2023 (today) marks the 22nd anniversary of the death of one of modern horology’s greatest personalities: Günter Blümlein.
SJX Watches
One of the most intriguing Patek Philippe wristwatches is once again coming up for sale at auction, eight years after it was last sold publicly. Made in 1990 for a Japanese client, the Patek Philippe ref. 3843/1 has a 13.43-carat diamond as its crystal – a large, flat cut also known as a lasque diamond – and is an entirely one-of-a-kind wristwatch with its own singular reference number. As we explained in our 2016 story detailing the watch the first time it was sold (which seems like a lifetime ago in watch collecting), the ref. 3843/1 came about in the early 1990s when a Japanese client handed over the 13.43-carat lasque diamond to Patek Philippe with a request to mount it onto a watch. The watch was completed in 1991 and then sold to the client in 1994. Image – Christie’s Originating in India, lasque diamonds are flat, wide, and irregular in form. They were historically employed to cover miniature portraits and are also known as portrait-cut diamonds. Here the lasque diamond forms the crystal, which camouflages the fact that it is a diamond. Only the facetted edges and tiny inclusions are a giveaway that the crystal is a diamond. Case in white gold and matched with a fine-link bracelet, the ref. 3843/1 was built around the lasque diamond, explaining the unusual triangular case form. The case is about 32 mm by 26 mm at its widest, making it larger than most watches of its era, though relatively small by modern standards. Christie’s photos of the ref. 3843/1 appe...
Quill & Pad
Stepan Sarpaneva's Nocturne is a stunning example of Finnish creativity and collaboration between two very different types of art. And once the sun goes down and the dial starts to glow, this watch's visuals create a different world altogether.
Time+Tide
The new Seiko Presage Cocktail Time Irori Moments SRPK50J takes inspiration from an Australian whisky distillery's bespoke cocktailThe post The Seiko Cocktail Time Irori Moments SRPK50 combines Australian and Japanese inspiration appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Quill & Pad
Well, despite ever-present COVID, the war in Ukraine, and a property crash in China, the world’s economy has held together enough to make 2023 a fantastic year for fine watchmaking. Here are Ian Skellern's predictions for the watches to win prizes at the 2023 GPHG.
Hodinkee
Giving a whole new meaning to 'bejeweled.'
Time+Tide
Last week's big releases were particularly colourful, from laser tag-inspired Zodiacs to beautifully enameled Louis Vuitton watches.The post New releases from Nomos Glashütte, Louis Vuitton, Cartier and more appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Worn & Wound
“Watches, Stories, and Gear” is a roundup of our favorite content, watch or otherwise, from around the internet. Here, we support other creators, explore interesting content that inspires us, and put a spotlight on causes we believe in. Oh, and any gear we happen to be digging on this week. We love gear. Share your story ideas or interesting finds with us by emailing info@wornandwound.com. Porsche Reveals 911 GT3 R for Rennsport Reunion This year marked the 22nd year of the Rennsport reunion, a gathering of Porsche enthusiasts to honor the brand’s motorsport traditions and show off their latest projects. This time around was a bit different than usual, including the reveal of a bonkers new GT3 R concept, designed purely for enthusiasts, and not around any racing regulatory framework. Porsche has been known to do such things, though rarely do they turn into an edition that you can purchase (theoretically). 77 examples of the GT3 R Rennsport will be produced, each will cost about a million bucks. The car itself gets a 611 horsepower naturally aspirated flat 6 that will rev out to a glorious 9,400 rpm redline. It’s everything we love about extreme 911s in one radical package. Read more about it here. An Oral History of the Greatest Concert Film Ever Made Jonathan Demme’s Stop Making Sense is back in theaters, and the nearly 40 year old film is reaching an entirely new audience. It’s often called the greatest concert film ever made, and seeing it projected onto a g...
Deployant
The Fifty Fathoms 70th Anniversary Act 3 is a limited edition dive watch created by Blancpain to commemorate the 70th anniversary of their iconic Fifty Fathoms model. This timepiece is inspired by the original “Mil-Spec” Fifty Fathoms and features a vintage-effect design.
Time+Tide
A three-way collaboration between TAG Heuer, Japanese motorsport team and fashion label Team Ikuzawa, and legendary watch customiser George Bamford. Based on the 42mm Carrera Chronograph, it’s a love letter to racing heritage, style, and innovation. A Japan-only limited edition of 100 pieces, it’s a bit of a tease for the rest of the world. … ContinuedThe post The TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph x Team Ikuzawa by Bamford is one for the motoring enthusiasts appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Quill & Pad
A friend called Michael Friedberg recently, thrilled that he had just bought a rare 50th anniversary watch at a local boutique. Michael shared his joy and asked him how he acquired it – which led him down a rabbit hole of boutique madness. Here he shares his frustrating experiences trying to buy a luxury watch today.
Time+Tide
In the early 1950s, Blancpain’s CEO Jean-Jacques Fiechter was diving off the coast of Cannes when he lost track of time. It almost proved a fatal mistake as Fiechter ran out of air and almost died. That near-death experience motivated him to try and create a reliable instrument that could enable divers to monitor their … ContinuedThe post Why Blancpain’s epic marketing flex didn’t involve a single watch appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
WatchAdvice
Unveiled during the Monaco Grand Prix this year, Rebellion launched two limited edition RE-Volt pieces in partnership with the Alfa Romeo F1 team, and we’ve be able to go hands on with the Valtteri Bottas model! What We Love The layered coloured carbon caseSkeletonised dialThe actual pieces of the F1 car in the watch! What We Don’t Lack of water resistanceVelcro strap not as premium or comfortableMinimal power reserve Overall Rating: 8.375/10 Value for money: 8/10Wearability: 8/10Design: 9/10Build quality: 8.5/10 As a fan of F1, it’s not everyday you get to go hands on and review a watch that the drivers wear. Let’s face it, many of the F1 teams have some very high end timing partners, like Richard Mille with Ferrari and Maclaren, whilst others like TAG Heuer and IWC are more mass luxury, some of the pieces the drivers sport are not, like the Lake Tahoe Big Pilot Perpetual Calendar Lewis Hamilton has been seen with this year! So when Hardy Brothers, who are the official retailer for Rebellion in Australia, called and said they’ve one of the limited edition Valtteri Bottas C43 RE-Volt pieces available, let’s just say I was keen to get it on my wrist! The Rebellion RE-Volt Valtteri Bottas C43 Limited Edition to 50 Pieces Initial Thoughts Seeing this piece in person, you can’t help get some very strong Richard Mille and Hublot vibes from it. Partly due to the case designed in the Tonneau shape that is now synonymous with RM, and perhaps elements of the design an...
Time+Tide
From the beginnings of the wristwatch in the trenches of World War I to mass production in World War II, we tell you all about the field watch.The post What is a field watch? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Hodinkee
This one is themed for the Harvest Moon.
Worn & Wound
Editor’s note: In this 3 Watch Collection for $5,000, reader Huy Tran shares a well considered trio that touches on heritage and utility while staying entirely within the practical realm. You can make your submission to the Three Watch Collection – Reader Edition by filling out the form right here. A 3-watch-collection is a fairly common topic of the watch community, and for good reasons. It represents a somewhat minimalist solution for those who still want to enjoy the fascination of these little machines but don’t like the idea of succumbing to consumerism craze. To be honest, I’m actually one of those people and am fancying the potential of selling all my watches to start again with an empty 3-slots watchbox. So this challenge is the perfect opportunity for me to simulate an imaginary outcome and see if I like what I come up with. My three choices reflect the spirit of minimalism that I mention, they are all time-only three-handers that offered by brands from the same watch conglomerate and one of them has just been released recently and gave me the idea. Tissot Heritage 1938 Automatic COSC (Salmon Dial) – $825 When a watch comes with the word “heritage” you know you’re dealing with some vintage inspired design. In fact, this Tissot Heritage 1938 is reminiscent of the watches they produced in the 1930’s, with a classic looking case in a compact but contemporary size of 39mm. The tasteful salmon dial is matte and occupies most of the watch face with ...
Worn & Wound
Since its relaunch a few years ago, the Seiko 5 Sports line has proven to be a solid blank canvas for a number of limited and special edition watches, covering a range of diverse subjects. We’ve seen everything from classic comic strips to niche Japanese pop culture represented on the dials of Seiko 5 Sports watches, and earlier this month Seiko added another pop culture titan to the growing line. The new Seiko 5 Sports Bruce Lee Limited Edition honors the actor, martial artist, and teacher with a watch that pays tribute in several subtle (and not so subtle ways). The most prominent design feature here is certainly the dragon image on the dial, which Seiko confirms is based on an image drawn by Lee himself. Dragon imagery plays a large role in Lee’s aesthetic, so it certainly makes sense in the context of this watch. If you were told that a new limited edition Seiko 5 would prominently feature a dragon on the dial, you’d probably expect it to be over the top in nature, but the black on black nature of the motif tones it down considerably and makes everything a lot more subtle. The other notable feature of the Bruce Lee Limited Edition is the bezel, which features characters that represent the principles of Jeet Kune Do, the hybrid martial art that Lee developed. Roughly translated, the characters read “Using no way as way; having no limitation as limitation.” Seiko has chosen a black leather strap for the watch that is meant to conjure clothing associated wit...
Revolution
Time+Tide
Sporting the brand's signature tritium tubes, the Ball Engineer Hydrocarbon EOD is backed by the US Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit.The post Ball Engineer Hydrocarbon EOD appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
For those in the NYC area, the end of October once again promises to be a great opportunity to see some great watches 'in the metal'.The post WatchTime & Windup: NYC’s horologically-fueled weekend to return next month appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Quill & Pad
There are always things that fans ask of brands across any industry, and the watch world is no different. Why not a Omega Seamaster 300M without a helium escape valve, a smaller titanium Rolex Yacht-Master, and why isn't JLC more popular? Raman Kalra has a few more questions for 2023.
Deployant
Master watchmaker Rexhep Rexhepi was in Singapore recently. Here is the Behind The Scene of the portrait session using my Sinar large format camera.
Revolution
Join us on an educational journey alongside Constant, where we delve into the world of Richard Mille guided by none other than Wei Koh, the founder of Revolution and an extremely passionate Richard Mille enthusiast, and for good reason. We’ll explore the remarkable evolution of Richard Mille, tracing its trajectory from its inception of the […]
Hodinkee
A collab that shines under the blacklight.
Worn & Wound
Isotope initially piqued my interest two years ago with their uniquely design-forward Hydrium “Will Return” dive watch. This timepiece was intentionally crafted to resemble the iconic “Will Return” sign often seen in shop windows, and its “Why not?” approach left a lasting impression on me. Fast forward two years, and Isotope, founded in 2016 by José and Joana Miranda and headquartered in England, has expanded its Hydrium line with the Hydrium California. This watch, like its predecessors, boldly defies the conventions of typical dive watches, drawing inspiration from Isotope’s own heritage as much as from classic dive watches from the past century. $1115 Hands-On: the Isotope Hydrium California Case Stainless steel Movement Landeron Automatic Dial Black Lume Yes Lens Sapphire Strap FKM Rubber Water Resistance 300 meters Dimensions 40 x 48mm Thickness 12.9mm Lug Width 22mm Crown Screw down Warranty Yes Price $1115 When the Hydrium Califonia first arrived the first thing I noticed was its case. The starkly uniform bead-blasted finish, which reduces the risk of unwanted reflections that may attract predators during ocean adventures according to Isotope, immediately let me know I could expect this quirky dive watch to be utilitarian not only by design, but also in practice. I eagerly strapped it to my wrist and, despite its generous thickness of 14.9mm, including the double-domed Sapphire Crystal, was pleased to learn that it wears true to its 40 mm diame...
Worn & Wound
Fueled by nostalgia for the 90s, with a touch of 80s too, the Zodiac x Worn & Wound Super Sea Wolf Laser Tags are a spiritual follow-up to our highly sought-after collaboration from 2021. Inspired by the sights, sensations, and joy of playing laser tag, they are watches that were imagined in three states of illumination – in light, in blacklight, and in the dark, each creating a different experience. Over two years in the making, the watches feature photoreactive elements on the dial, bezel, strap, and even the case and packaging. Two watches unlike any you’ve encountered before, the only question is, which side will you choose, Ultraviolet or Infrared? The post Introducing the Zodiac x Worn & Wound Super Sea Wolf Laser Tag Limited Editions appeared first on Worn & Wound.
Time+Tide
Decked out in photoreactive laser traces, the Zodiac x Worn & Wound Super Sea Wolf collaboration is one of the most fun releases of the yearThe post The Zodiac x Worn & Wound Super Sea Wolf Laser Tag is a raver’s dream appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
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