3,595 articles · 369 videos found · page 117 of 133
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Join the TBWS writing team for our very first episode of the TBWS Writers' Room! The crew sit down and have an honest conversation about the very real impact that COVID-19 is having on the watch industry. From large brands to smaller brands, everyone is feeling the impact.
![Breaking News: Baselworld 2020 Cancelled, Becomes Baselworld 2021 [Updated]](https://watchesbysjx.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Baselworld-building-messeplatz.jpg)
SJX Watches
On a fast-moving Friday that started with the first case of the COVID-19 coronavirus in the city of Basel being diagnosed according to Swiss newspaper Le Temps, the day culminated in the organisers of Baselworld 2020 announcing its postponement to January 2021, essentially cancelling this year’s trade fair. This comes a day after the organisers of Geneva watch fair Watches & Wonders announced it was cancelled, which wipes out the entire year’s calendar for the major watch industry events. Though the Baselworld organisers had initially planned to meet on Monday, March 2, according to an announcement by Hubert J. du Plessix, the president of the event’s exhibitors committee (and also the director of investments and logistics at Rolex), events got ahead of them. The primary catalyst Baselworld’s cancellation was the Swiss government declaring a ban on all gatherings of over 1,000 people, until at least March 15 – which instantly made the Geneva Motor Show, one of the automotive industry’s most important events, a non-starter. Now Baselworld 2021 will take place from January 28 to February 2, with press day happening on January 27. Baselworld managing director Michel Loris-Melikoff, commenting in the announcement of the event’s cancellation, stated “We have found a solution that enables the industry and all our customers to avoid losing a full year and at the same time reset their calendars for the beginning of the year, a period that is conductive to the...
Quill & Pad
The news broke like a hurricane on the morning of February 27, 2020: Watches & Wonders (formerly SIHH) has been canceled for 2020. In the words of Hublot CEO Ricardo Guadalupe, “The future of the fairs is already in the balance – to cancel them is really bad news for them, and for Baselworld in particular." Read on for more of his opinion.
Time+Tide
It’s a new segment. It’s called Battle Royale. Someone nominates a collection, and we fight to the death for our favourite from said collection until there is one opinion standing. Well, not really. That would be bloody, time-consuming, fairly hard to adjudicate and likely to upset HR. So, why don’t we just make our case … ContinuedThe post Battle Royale: The T+T Team debate which is the best modern-day Rolex Daytona appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso is a paragon of the Art Deco dress watch style, delivering a clean and classic design that has remained the same for the best part of a hundred years. While most watches with a solid caseback offer ample space for an engraving, the Reverso offers more than most thanks to its beautifully … ContinuedThe post Why getting your Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso engraved is worth the wait appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Quill & Pad
SIHH 2019 provided an instructive example to Tim Mosso of architecture’s low-key role in watch design relative to well-worn tropes. For him it was the third year in a row that parts of Geneva’s Palexpo felt like a Southern California cars-and-coffee event. But there are a few watch brands that do architecture well, and Tim takes a closer look at some of them here.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Timex has been on a roll since the release of the Marlin a little while back. Since then, the watch world has gone completely nuts over reissues like the Q and vintage-inspired models like the recent M79. Join Mike and Kaz as they run through Timex's greatest hits, analyze the brand's overall strategy, and consider adding Timex models to their own personal collections.
Time+Tide
This week on Great ‘Grams we get up close and personal with the number of the beast, a custom Eastern Arabic dial from an independent watchmaker, and a very rare Rolex thought to be sold by a retailer off the coast of Miami. The Bahamas-based retailer in question is John Bull, established in 1929 and … ContinuedThe post Great ‘Grams: Dial details and custom cases appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Hollywood’s night of nights, the Oscars, was just yesterday, and while most of the noise around this year’s event was Brad Pitt finally scoring his first ever gong for his supporting role in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (and shedding a tear… oh, Brad!) for us watch tragics it was a great chance to … ContinuedThe post Four watches worn at the 2020 Oscars that point to a new dress watch direction appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Editor’s note: Last night, Brad Pitt won the 2020 Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Cliff Booth in the Quentin Tarantino thriller Once Upon A Time In Hollywood. While his tailored shirt cuff didn’t reveal his watch during his acceptance speech, if he was wearing one we can be fairly confident it … ContinuedThe post Brad Pitt didn’t wear a watch to accept his 2020 Oscar, but he wore this in his award-winning performance appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
Released in 2014 to critical and commercial success, Interstellar tells the story of a Joseph Cooper, an astronaut recruited to save humanity by travelling through wormholes to seek new, habitable worlds. He’s played by Matthew McConaughey, while Jessica Chastain takes the role of Murphy, his daughter. A key scene in the film has Cooper communicating across space and time with Murphy via the seconds hand of her wristwatch, which jumps in Morse code. The wristwatch prop was a custom Hamilton, but it took the brand five years to take advantage of the big screen opportunity – though Hamilton did recruit the movie’s production designer to create a sci-fi wristwatch – with the Khaki Field Murph finally launching last year. Though based on the standard Khaki Field Auto 42 mm, the Murph edition is notably different. To start with, it has a retro look with faux-vintage luminous markings and cathedral hands. And perhaps more importantly for the aficionado, the Murph has no date function; in fact, it is the only automatic model in the Khaki Field line without a date (the other models sans date are all hand-wind). In short, the Murph is a good-looking, military-style watch for relatively little money. The dial of the Murph is surprisingly well conceived for an inexpensive watch. The layout is balanced and well proportioned, with both hands being just the right length. Because the Super-Luminova used is a dark parchment, the dial has strong vintage aspirations that don’t q...
Two Broke Watch Snobs
This is not an article about the fabled Rolex Explorer 1016. But... if you squint your eyes really tight and tilt your head, it could kind of look like one.
SJX Watches
As a brand known for oversized and aggressively technical watches, Hublot’s latest creation is unusually delicate and intricate. The Classic Fusion Gold Crystal is an all-black wristwatch with a striking gold-patterned dial that has surprising beauty on a small scale. Reminiscent of fossilised plants, the motif on the dial is actually solid gold, formed by vaporising the precious metal, revisiting an idea Hublot first mooted in 2017 with the experimental Gold Crystal watch that relied on gold from rivers around Geneva. According to Hublot, the technique to create the decoration was developed in-house and starts with a tiny amount of pure, 24-carat gold. The metal is heated to its melting point, and then heated some more, creating a vapour-like stream of gold. The tiny gold particles are then channelled to a cold metal plate, causing them to cool instantaneously, which form what Hublot terms “gold crystals”. These tiny pieces of gold are them sorted for size and shape, with only 20% suited for use on a watch dial, according to Hublot. The resulting pieces are then arranged by hand on a black dial, which is then covered with a transparent lacquer – in a vacuum so as to prevent bubbles forming – and then baked in an oven to set the lacquer. The rest of the watch is basically a monochromatic canvas for the gold crystal decor. It’s a stock Classic Fusion in black ceramic – the case, bezel, and back are black ceramic, while the screws are black-coated titanium. Ava...
Time+Tide
The 92nd Academy Awards were held in Los Angeles, California and have just concluded. The big winners were Joaquin Phoenix, who won Best Actor for his portrayal of Arthur Fleck in Joker, Brad Pitt for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and the Korean film Parasite, which … ContinuedThe post The best watches at the 2020 Oscars red carpet appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Towards the end of last year I was fortunate enough to experience the Vacheron Constantin Les Collectionneurs watches in the metal. They are a shining example of something that many watch manufacturers are looking to execute - exceptional pre-owned pieces sold by the manufacturer. The program has been running for a number of years now, where … ContinuedThe post RECOMMENDED READING: Vacheron Constantin are removing the dangers of buying vintage watches appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Quill & Pad
If Ken Gargett were to tell you that he is looking at one of the great champagnes, that wouldn’t really narrow it down for you. If he said it was a blanc de blancs then you’d be able to get closer. And if he said it had become a cult favorite in recent years, you might think he is talking about Selosse, Agrapart, Collin, or one of the other emerging growers. The champagne he puts under the microscope today is actually from small(ish) grower Pierre Peters and it is the flagship, Les Chétillons. Find out what he thinks about it here!
SJX Watches
Three years ago, Panerai introduced the LAB-ID Luminor 1950 Carbotech 3 Days PAM 700, an experimental watch boasting carbon-based innovations inside and out, including ceramic bridges and plates that do away with jewelled bearings as well as a dial coated in carbon nanotubes giving it an absolute black finish. But the LAB-ID was truly experimental, and word has it that only a handful were sold and the planned 50-piece run was never completed. But no doubt due to the popularity of the LAB-ID’s design – and unpopularity of the €50,000 price tag – Panerai has just announced the Luminor Marina Carbotech 44 mm (PAM01661). It’s essentially a smaller, simpler LAB-ID, featuring a case in the same material, as well as blue lume on the dial and hands, but with a straightforward automatic movement without any of the bells and whistles found in the LAB-ID. The Luminor Marina Carbotech 44 mm Depth rated to 300 m, the case is made of Carbotech, a carbon fibre-reinforced polymer produced by compressing thin sheets of carbon fibres at high pressure with a high-end polymer (PEEK), explaining the wave-like appearance of the material. The result is a material that is light and strong, explaining why the large, 44 mm case weighs just 96 grammes, less than half the same case in steel. The LAB-ID of 2017 The watch has a standard Panerai dial, but in the colours of the LAB-ID. Like most Panerai dials, it has a “sandwich” construction, where the hour markers are cut-outs that r...
Time+Tide
I’m rather fortunate in my role here at Time+Tide - I get to wear a lot of different watches. In fact, in 2019 alone I tried on and wore more than 200 different timepieces. Getting to experience this many different watches is a privilege, and while each and every one had both positives and negatives, they … ContinuedThe post OPINION: Why thick watches are no good appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
Originally unveiled as a sub-brand of Seiko in 1960 dedicated entirely to high-precision wristwatches – and only sold in Japan for most of that time – Grand Seiko has now become an independent brand. This year is the 60th anniversary of its founding, and the occasion is being commemorated with a quartet of limited editions (with perhaps more to come later in the year), including two quartz watches powered by the 9F85, a new, top-of-the-line quartz movement. All of the anniversary editions feature a dial in dark blue, one of Grand Seiko’s signature colours, albeit executed in different materials or finishes, ranging from a stamped pattern to mother of pearl. All of the men’s models also have a red seconds hand, creating a red and blue aesthetic that’s uncommon for Grand Seiko. The flagship 60th anniversary watch is the Heritage Collection Hi-Beat 36000 Limited Edition (SBGH281), a variant of the 44GS “modern reinterpretation” that features broad, mirror-polished case flanks that are steeply sloped, a distinguishing characteristic of the 44GS case style. It’s powered by the 9S85, an automatic movement operated at 36,000 beats per hour, hence the “Hi-Beat” label. Only 1,500 will be made. The Hi-Beat limited edition also features a gold “GS” logo on the dial The other mechanical model in the anniversary line-up is the Elegance Collection Women’s Automatic Limited Edition (STGK015), powered by the 9S27 automatic movement. Its dial is dark-blue mother...
Time+Tide
OK, let’s dispense with any hype and get down to it. Sixty per cent of watches are sold on a bracelet and this is a fact that Hublot are finally set to take advantage of with the Hublot Big Bang Integral, a new collection, freshly launched at the LVMH fair in Dubai in early January. … ContinuedThe post How could a humble watch bracelet win a watch fair? The Hublot Big Bang Integral just did exactly that, but why? How? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Released at Baselworld 2019, this SUB 200 130th Anniversary Limited Edition diver’s watch was profoundly popular, and the run of 130 pieces sold out almost before it was released. Time+Tide’s own stock of this model, 30 pieces, was sold in just under two hours. We are offering our own archive piece for sale here, brand … ContinuedThe post “Watch & Act!” Auction Item – Lot 13: DOXA – Celebrating 130 Years of DOXA appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Last year, fans were delighted with the release of the DOXA SUB 200 T.Graph, a steel cushion-cased chronograph with an iconic DOXA orange dial. Based on a historical reference from 1969, the SUB 200 T.Graph is part of the brand’s revitalisation over recent years, which included the release of the same chronograph, except in solid … ContinuedThe post RECOMMENDED READING: The Modern DOXA with a vintage movement appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
This unique piece, with a custom Australian-themed caseback and unique dial, has been conceived and created from scratch by the brilliant minds driving Zenith’s groundbreaking new era. It combines the slate grey dial of the brand new ‘Rescue’ series of Pilots, with a bronze case to dramatic effect. The blood-red crossed axe motif on the … ContinuedThe post “Watch & Act!” Auction Item – Lot 7: One of a kind with the Zenith Pilot Rescue ‘Australian Rescue’ Edition appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Double-signed dials are the perfect example of how the details of a watch are sometimes the most interesting, revealing not just where a watch might have been sold, but opening up a window into the past to expose key relationships and macroeconomic trends that affected how the business of selling watches was done. Double-signed dials … ContinuedThe post RECOMMENDED READING: Why double-signed Rolex and Patek Philippe dials are so interesting appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Watches are no longer the robust tools we use in everyday life. We tell the time with our phones, and watches instead have taken on a much more important role as communicating something about ourselves. In spite of this, some watch companies continue to invest heavily in a traditional form of watchmaking where innovation is … ContinuedThe post Innovation sensation: 3 of the most innovative watches of 2019 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Zenith really wowed the global watch community last year with some truly impressive new releases that encompassed beautiful heritage pieces, new case materials and horological innovations that had everyone talking. We’d like to mention all the models that dropped last year, but, to keep it short and sweet, here were the three most important Zenith … ContinuedThe post These were the most significant Zenith watches of 2019 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
Russian watchmaker Konstantin Chaykin had a hit on his hands when he unveiled the Joker at Baselworld 2017. Inspired by the “moving eye” clocks invented by German clockmaker J. Oswald in 1926, the Joker has since been iterated into several new versions, including the one-off Joker Selfie that sold for 75,000 Swiss francs at last year’s Only Watch charity auction. To mark the upcoming Chinese Year of the Rat, Konstantin has created a special variant of the Joker – the Mouse King – featuring the same “rolling eye” time display, but powered by a new base movement. According to Konstantin, the genesis of the watch came during the recent Christmas season, when he read the German fairytale The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, or Nussknacker und Mausekönig in its original language, to his daughter. A story about a nutcracker doll that comes to life and then defeats the evil Mouse King, the fairytale is the basis for Tchaikovsky’s ballet The Nutcracker. But most relevant to Konstantin is the fact that one of its main characters, Drosselmeyer, is a clockmaker. And in another coincidence, the Chinese Year of the Rat begins on January 25, 2020, which is also his daughter’s birthday. And so the Mouse King watch was created, as a limited edition of seven watches – because the evil Mouse King has seven heads, each wearing a golden crown. It indicates the hours and minutes regulator-style with a”moving eye” display, along with the moon phase at six o’clock ...
Time+Tide
Hodinkee’s extraordinary run of sold-out limited edition models only became more of a water-cooler conversation topic when the 250-run of the Oris Divers Sixy-Five Limited Edition for Hodinkee was released, to be sold out in less than 10 minutes. The team generously offer one of their own brand new archive models of the highly sought … ContinuedThe post “Watch & Act!” Auction Item – Lot 2: The hardest Oris to get on earth? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Unquestionably one of Grand Seiko’s most surprising releases of 2019, the SBGK additions to the Elegance Collection had all the makings of a perfect dress watch. There was just one problem, however - if I’m being really finickity, the dial options that were made available upon release were perhaps slightly out of keeping with that of … ContinuedThe post HANDS-ON: Is this Grand Seiko Elegance SBGK007 a perfect dress watch? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
It may surprise many reading this, but two out of the three Omega watches that really got the collective horological community talking in 2019 weren’t limited editions. In fact, the one limited edition watch that really struck a chord with enthusiasts, the Speedmaster Apollo 11 50th Anniversary, was just a gorgeous looking timepiece, regardless of … ContinuedThe post Shaken and stirred: 3 Omegas that got everyone talking in 2019 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Question, suggestion, or just want to say hi? Drop a note.