Deployant
Dear Santa: Peter Nievaart makes his Christmas wish list
We kick off this Christmas season with a series of articles from our writers on their wish list for 2020. We begin with our correspondent Peter Nievaart.
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Deployant
We kick off this Christmas season with a series of articles from our writers on their wish list for 2020. We begin with our correspondent Peter Nievaart.
Time+Tide
Being a superstar athlete clearly has its perks. Sure, there is glory within achievements and success found in their respective sport, but if you become such an anchoring presence to a team, such as NBA player James Harden, it also means you receive quite the hefty payday. Harden, who has reportedly amassed more than $224,000,000 … ContinuedThe post Rapper Lil Baby gets big 26th birthday present from James Harden, including a Richard Mille and a hunnit grand (with pastries) appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
More than 50 years ago, an aviation team led by pilot Tom Lecky-Thompson embarked on what they referred to as codename “Blue Nylon”. So, what was the top-secret project? The group was making preparations for Lecky-Thompson’s attempt to enter the Transatlantic Air Race in 1969, which involved pilots flying from London all the way to … ContinuedThe post HANDS-ON: The AVI-8 Hawker Harrier Blue Nylon is a tempting sub-$500 throwdown for aviation fans appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
Both an engraver and self-taught watchmaker, Artur Akmaev was born in Moscow but has called Los Angeles home since 2017. He specialises in highly decorative, but also affordable, skeleton watches, each a one-off and often customised to the client’s specific requests. And he occasionally works with other watchmakers – Mr Akmaev was responsible for the movement engraving on the Infinity Series made by fellow California watchmaker Joshua Shapiro. Many of Mr Akmaev’s creations are inspired by pop culture – both Batman and The Avengers can be found on the dials of his earlier creations – and his latest wristwatch draws on 1980s video game Battle City, where the player has to destroy enemy tanks on a grid-like arena. Designed by Mr Akmaev’s sister, Dinara, an artist specialising in jewellery design, the Battle City watch is hand-engraved and enamelled, both on the dial as well as the movement. Initial thoughts The versatility of Mr Akmaev’s skill is surprising – he can transform any idea into decoration for a watch. Admittedly, not all have the same appeal. Some look a bit much for a watch dial, but others, like the new Battle City, work surprisingly well. The scale of the decoration of Battle City suits a watch dial perfectly, while its various elements like tanks and brick surface are ideal for engraving and enamelling. In fact, the three-dimensionality of the Battle City dial is surprising, given that the dial has to fit in in the 1.5 mm space between the mov...
Revolution
Patek Philippe closes off 2020 with the ultimate hold-my-beer watch: the Patek Philippe Ref. 6301P Grande Sonnerie in platinum
SJX Watches
A watchmaker established by Porsche 911 “restomod” specialist Singer Vehicle Design, Singer Reimagined got off the ground with the Track 1, a chronograph with 1970s vibes that’s powered by one of the most ingenious 21st century chronograph movements. Now Singer has just taken the covers off its second model, the Flytrack Prime Edition. Essentially a condensed version of the Track 1 chronograph, the Flytrack is equipped with a constantly-running central seconds hand that can be instantaneously reset and restarted – a flyback in other words – allowing it to measure short elapsed times. Making its debut as a 30-piece “Prime Edition” in titanium, the Flytrack is powered by the AGH 9634 AgenGraphe movement, a simplified version of the full-fledged chronograph movement in the Track 1. The AGH 9634 Initial thoughts A simpler and more affordable version of the Track 1 chronograph, the Flytrack is essentially a highly complicated time-only watch. Though simpler, the Flytrack movement is still made up of 314 parts, about three times a conventional time-only movement. And despite doing away with chronograph mechanism, the movement in the Flytrack is still complex enough to be attractive in its mechanics. The Flytrack’s style and feel is very similar to the Track 1 – the case is identical in size – which means 1970s and speedometer-inspired. It’s an appealing retro look that’s executed well on the Track 1, and nearly as well on the Flytrack, save for one cav...
SJX Watches
A collaboration between Arab Watch Club and Czapek to create a one-off wristwatch that will benefit a good cause has reach fruition. Inlaid with an unusual green mineral, the Place Vendôme “Al Kanz” is decorated with engraved motifs inspired by Middle Eastern culture. Al kanz, or أل كنز, is Arabic for “the treasure”, and the namesake watch will be exhibited in Dubai later this month before being sold at Christie’s online auction in November, with all proceeds going to the Emirates Foundation, a charity established by the government of Abu Dhabi. Initial thoughts One-off watches created for charity auctions make sense, since they benefit both the watchmaker and a worthy cause, which in this case is an organisation focused on youth in the region. The brainchild of Hassan Akhras, founder of Arab Watch Club (AWC), the Al Kanz is a thoughtful collaboration that has resulted in a striking watch. The use of zoisite adds new colour to the watch, with the bright green mineral rings highlighting the architecture of the movement. In fact, the stock version of the Place Vendôme is a bit too plain, while this version is livened up just enough. Although the green and aubergine accents are striking, they are relatively restrained so the overall appearance remains classical and clean. What’s new The highlight of the Al Kanz is definitely the dial. The additional of colour and texture to the sub-dials immediately set it apart from the standard Place Vendôme models ...
Quill & Pad
Girard-Perregaux plays cleverly off the intense blackness of the onyx dial of the Vintage 1945 Infinity by crafting the logo, hour indexes, and second hand in pink gold. To Martin Green's eye, the combination of the steel case with the pink and white metal hands creates an interesting dynamic that works very well in combination with the Vintage 1945 Infinity’s art deco design.
Deployant
A step up from the run-off the mill skeleton rubber strap chronographs, Zenith wows with its movement as it usually does. That said, while this piece is a stunner, some may find that the watch is more LVMH than it is Zenith. As one who is biased towards a classic Zenith case, the Shadow may be a better option if one is considering a Zenith for his collection.
Time+Tide
Watchspotting on Masterchef Australia Season 11 sees that the judging team has improved considerably over time, notes this Indian article.The post RECOMMENDED READING: Watchspotting on MasterChef Australia Season 11, in India? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
The conversation kicked off with a comment by watch collector and dealer Eric Ku in the most recent Watch & Chill episode (skip to the timecode in the description). “I was obsessively watching this show Ballers… with the Rock. In this last season, [he] was wearing the purple Frosted Gold Royal Oak chrono. I distinctly remember him … ContinuedThe post Why big men look “stunning” in small watches, starring the Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, the ‘King’ Lebron James and Audemars Piguet appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Tune in as they cover fit, finishing, brand heritage bang-for-buck, and more. It’s a total Rolex vs. Omega face-off.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
I mean why own one or two Rolexes when you could have several dozen-” His voice trailed off before reaching back in the box, “...Kenneth Cole Reactions.” Read The Balance Cock Bugle for balanced horological news (probably).
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Included in the lot are three pairs at fifty percent off retail for a BuyItNow price of $528 + $75 shipping-a bargain to any enthusiast who’s been coveting a watch strap bearing the website’s stamp. Read The Balance Cock Bugle for balanced horological news (probably).
SJX Watches
Having relied on external suppliers for its chronograph movements since the very beginning, Richard Mille has just unveiled its first in-house chronograph calibre in the RM 72-01 Lifestyle In-House Chronograph. Ironically, the “Lifestyle” model name doesn’t do justice to the new CRMC1 movement within. Like most high-end chronographs, the CRMC1 has a column wheel as the one-off switch for the stopwatch, but in a novel twist, it has a pair of oscillating pinions to connect the chronograph wheels to the timekeeping gear train. Initial thoughts Richard Mille’s bestselling chronograph is the RM 11, which is powered by a modular calibre made up of a Vaucher base and a Dubois-Depraz module, making it uninteresting from a technical perspective. The new RM 72-01 is the opposite: it’s powered by a new movement that features a patented construction for the chronograph. Though the innovation in the movement is incremental – essentially reinterpreting existing ideas – it is still original. At the same time, the RM 72-01 is a notably compact watch for a sports chronograph, which should leave it sitting low on the wrist. In fact, the wearability of the RM 72-01 should trump the already excellent ergonomics of most Richard Mille watches. And perhaps most surprising is the price. It costs about the same as the RM 11, but boasts a clearly superior, proprietary movement. Even though the RM 72-01 is an extremely expensive watch – the base model costs about US$185,000 – it...
Take a load off (your wrist).
Quill & Pad
Project 248 is the working title for Struthers Watchmakers' first in-house, handcrafted movement. It features a new improved English lever escapement, picking up where the British industry left off in the late nineteenth century. Colin Alexander Smith reports extensively on the project whose first run of five watches has already sold out.
SJX Watches
Having just set the record for a modern Rolex wristwatch two years ago when a unique, platinum Daytona ref. 16516 with a Zenith movement sold for US$871,000, Sotheby’s broke its own record with yet another one-off Daytona in platinum that sold for HK$25,375,000, or about US$3.27 million, fees included. The Daytona became the most valuable modern Rolex despite having been relatively under the radar prior to the sale. While the platinum Daytona sold in 2018 was widely published in the press and social, today’s example was not covered by any of the key horological publications. And it was depicted with a bizarre turquoise leather strap in catalogue photos, though the strap was replaced with one in a neutral shade of tan during the preview exhibition. The famous five Both were part of a five-piece run of Zenith Daytona watches with platinum cases made at the request of former Rolex chief executive Patrick Heiniger in 1999. The late Heiniger reputedly kept one for himself, and gifted the others to key business partners. The watch sold in 2018 for instance was a wedding gift a member of the family that was a longtime Rolex retailer in Italy. All share the same model reference 16516, but each was unique in having a different dial made of an exotic or precious material. The example sold in 2018 had a dark mother of pearl dial, which was also found on the standard-production white gold Daytona of the period. In contrast, the platinum Daytona that just sold at Sotheby’s has a ...
This one-off Ressence raises money for COVID-19 research.
Hodinkee
Go jump off a dock.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
While this new GMT is primarily based off the current Ocean Star line of watches, it comes with a few tricks up its sleeve to set it apart
Quill & Pad
Elizabeth Doerr has attended the odd auction. She has even gone to auctions with the intent to bid on a watch. But that hadn’t yet worked out for her. Not until she saw that Parisian auction house Artcurial was auctioning off what was left of Alain Silberstein’s inventory and put in an absentee bid on a long shot. She had little hope, but then . . .
SJX Watches
First revealed a year ago as a prototype with a dial that was a work in progress, the Petermann Bédat 1967 wristwatch with an unusual deadbeat seconds mechanism has just been launched in its final form. Mechanically identical to the prototype – it’s equipped a secondary escapement for the jumping seconds – the refined 1967 now has a partially-open dial that shows off the finely-finished keyless works. Initial thoughts The prototype 1967 deadbeat seconds was let down by an uninspiring faux-classical dial, which was a shame, because the movement was executed to an impressively high level. Fortunately, Messrs Petermann and Bedat embarked on a total redesign of the dial. Independent watchmakers don’t often make drastic changes to designs in response to criticism, but the two did so, and the result is a success. The new 1967 is a handsome watch that manages to look modern while evoking classical dial design. In fact, the new dial is essentially a “sector” dial with a sapphire chapter ring, a novel combination that has not been done before. And it is matched with Petermann Bédat’s take on classical lance-shaped hands, which complete the contemporary feel. The new 1967 in rose gold. Photo – Petermann Bédat Dial aside, the rest of the watch is largely identical to the prototype. The movement was already excellent and will be almost unchanged in the production versions, although Mr Petermann says that the engraved lettering on the three-quarter plate will be im...
SJX Watches
While Zenith occasionally looks into its famed attic for inspiration, the brand regularly shows off its innovation and forward-thinking sensibilities. Case in point – the new Defy 21 Ultraviolet. The watch is dressed entirely in violet, a colour with one of the highest frequencies in the visible spectrum, making the livery a conceptual complement to the 1/100th-of-a-second El Primero 9004 inside the watch. Initial thoughts It never really struck me how uncommon the colour is in watchmaking until I saw the new Defy 21 (though the influencer and collector Amr Sindi has collaborated with several brands to create watches in the colour, and may have had a hand in conceiving the Defy 21 Ultraviolet). A bold choice of choice, violet is used for the dial and strap, but also throughout the movement, making for a fun and casual watch, especially on the rubber strap covered in violet fabric. Though the violet elements might seem loud at first glance, the colour isn’t actually too much. It’s a dark purple that’s more Imperial Rome than Joker from Batman. And it is essentially a two-colour watch in violet and dark grey; the use of a micro-blasted titanium case, helps to diminish the visual prominence of watch. Colour aside, the Defy 21 is a strong value proposition – though it’s the best value in its simplest guise – offering a twin-oscillator, high-frequency chronograph movement for a relatively affordable price. A new face Colour aside, the look is pretty much like the...
Revolution
Ross Povey kicks off a new Zoom video interview series today, called “Desert Island Dials, where we ask some of our friends from the community what watch they would bring along with them, if they were on a desert island.
Hodinkee
After taking last week off, Friday Live has returned!
Time+Tide
Tragically, Covid-19 spells economic doom for many businesses. But while many industries are flat-lining or being forced into hasty reinventions, there are signs that the vintage watch industry will not just scrape through, but that some corners are in fact going from strength to strength. Cam Wolf in GQ explores how auction houses and watch … ContinuedThe post RECOMMENDED READING: If you own a high-value vintage watch, this story could make your day appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
Just last year Montblanc unveiled the 1858 Split Second Chronograph, a Minerva-powered watch that was warmly received for being well-finished and complex, yet reasonably-priced. A retro-inspired, rattrapante mono-pusher chronograph, the watch cost US$30,000 – a solid deal as such things go. A few months after, Montblanc debuted the one-off Only Watch edition with titanium case and blue-agate dial that sold for a whopping 100,000 Swiss francs, with proceeds going to charity. The brand has now stepped things up a notch with the 1858 Split Second Chronograph Limited Edition 100 that channels the spirit of the Only Watch edition, featuring the same titanium case and paired with a fired enamel dial in graduated blue. Despite the similar styling, the new watch costs a lot less than the record-setting Only Watch Edition – but isn’t quite as good value as last year’s model. Smoky blue And that’s because while the bronze model had an ordinary dial of brass, this has been upgraded with a grand feu enamel dial, leading to a jump in the retail price of about US$7,000, which is about the typical premium for such a dial. The enamel dial starts off as a solid-gold disc, which is painted with a mixture of enamel powder, water and oil. It is then fired in an oven at over 800℃, melting the enamel powder and fusing it to the gold base. The process of adding enamel powder and firing is repeated multiple times so as to achieve the desired depth of colour. But unusually, the di...
Time+Tide
You may have heard the news that Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson contracted coronavirus while filming the untitled Elvis Presley biopic in Australia; they are both reportedly recovering well, but Elvis fanatics will be champing at the bit for the production to ramp back up. It, like life as we know it, has … ContinuedThe post This curiously affordable gold Universal Genève owned by Elvis Presley is up for sale (again) appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Revolution
Wei Koh ticks off meeting yet another industry legend on his list of greats, sitting down with the father of the G-SHOCK, Kikuo Ibe.
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