661 articles · 108 videos found · page 26 of 26
Time+Tide
Yesterday we published the first part of our most-read reviews of 2017, covering off Bulgari, Grand Seiko, Rolex, Longines and some more Rolex (for good measure). Today we go through the top five watch reviews of 2017, with some expected and some more surprising results … 5: IN-DEPTH: Tudor’s Black Bay Chrono – greater than … ContinuedThe post LIST: The top 10 watch reviews of 2017 – part 2 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Deployant
Round up for the significant horological events for the month of August 2017. With exhibitions from Rolex and Bulgari, and the Roger Dubuis cocktail.
Deployant
A short guide for a titanium watch, with pieces from Tudor, Omega, Bulgari, HYT, De Bethune, and MB&F;.
Deployant
Deployant Events: Highlights of the horological fortnight for the week ending May 17, 2015. Breguet, Bulgari, Vacheron Constantin
Revolution
PRESS RELEASE IWC SCHAFFHAUSEN OPENS FIRST UK BOUTIQUE ON LONDON’S NEW BOND STREET London, 19 December 2014 – The Swiss luxury watch manufacturer IWC Schaffhausen is delighted to announce the opening of its first UK boutique in London, located at 138 New Bond Street. After much anticipation, IWC Schaffhausen today opens its first UK boutique […]
Teddy Baldassarre
The advent of the quartz watch was the most disastrous event ever to befall the traditional luxury watch business, an existential threat that nearly toppled the watch industry as we know it. The invention of the quartz watch was among the most significant advances in the history of timekeeping and brought affordable wristwatches to the masses in a way that had never been seen before. These are the two main schools of thoughts on what the quartz watch has meant to the history of watchmaking, and both are essentially correct. As you contemplate whether to purchase a quartz watch, ponder the main differences between quartz and mechanical movements, and try to wrap your head around the various types of timekeeping technologies, let’s explore how quartz watches originated, how they evolved, and what their place is in today’s ever-changing watch world. [toc-section heading="Quartz Movements Explained"] Unlike a mechanical movement, which stores its energy in a wound mainspring inside a barrel and releases it through a complex series of gears to move the hands, a quartz movement derives its power from a small electrical charge provided by a battery, which then passes through an integrated circuit that applies the charge to a tiny quartz crystal cut into the shape of a tuning fork. Thanks to something known as the reverse-piezoelectric effect, that tiny charge applied to the quartz tuning fork crystal causes it to vibrate at an incredibly high rate that dwarfs the output of ...
Fratello
Everyone knows the story: you start with a paperclip and trade your way up to a house. Canadian blogger Kyle MacDonald made it happen in 2006 with his One Red Paperclip project. Could this principle, on a smaller scale, be applied to watches? Today on Fratello Talks, Nacho, Thomas, and RJ join to discuss the […] Visit Fratello Talks: Trade To Upgrade - Is It Possible To Trade Your Way To Your Grail Watch? to read the full article.
Worn & Wound
Vacheron Constantin is the world’s oldest watch brand in continuous operation, and they celebrate a big anniversary this year: 270 years. That’s an incredibly long time for a company to exist, and simply by virtue of its age, Vacheron has survived virtually every kind of calamity that can befall the human beings who, at the end of the day, are responsible for keeping the thing going. Wars, disease, more wars, Instagram hype – Vacheron has seen it all. It’s certainly a milestone worth celebrating, and as brands tend to do when these big numbers crop up, they’re doing it with a watch (probably a bunch of watches, to be fair – it’s only January). In any case, to begin their big anniversary year, Vacheron Constantin has introduced a new version of their 222 in steel, a watch that has been anticipated and speculated about since its most immediate predecessor was introduced just shy of three years ago. Just in case anyone needs a refresher, the 222 was Vacheron Constantin’s original entry in the integrated bracelet sports watch sweepstakes in 1977, the brand’s 222nd anniversary year (this is an anniversary watch to its core). It came after their counterparts in the so-called Holy Trilogy of Swiss watch brands released their own takes on this style (the Audermars Piguet Royal Oak and the Patek Philippe Nautilus, both designed by Gerald Genta) and was not continuously produced, so it didn’t attain the household name status of those watches. The 222 was always...
Teddy Baldassarre
The Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe used to be seen as something like a younger sibling to the classic Fifty Fathoms but after more than a decade in production (of the current iteration, at least) I would now classify it as the more modern sibling. The clean lines and sleek angles work particularly well in what is typically the bulkier category of diver chronographs, let alone flyback chronographs. But, the Bathyscaphe Chronograph Flyback Chronograph seen here, done in a ceramic case and green colorway, manages to exceed expectations and defy any baggage or preconceptions the category may bring with it. One thing you won’t get from the images alone is just how lightweight the watch is, due to its black ceramic case. Ceramic is one of my favorite materials for a watch case (in addition to titanium) not just because of the weight but also the scratch resistance that comes with it. It also looks great, especially contrasted against that wonderfully vibrant green used on the dial and bezel here. Divers' chronographs are a particular challenge because, well, operating a chronograph underwater presents some serious water-resistance issues. That said, Blancpain is confident in its assertion that the chronograph can safely be activated underwater. And for those not familiar, a flyback is significantly more complex than a typical chronograph because it does not have to be stopped before resetting. While we’re on the topic, the F385 caliber deserves some love because it ...
Worn & Wound
With the new school year in full swing, I’ve been reminded by my nephews and nieces just how much fun buying school supplies can be. I’m sure there is a direct correlation between my love of buying random notebooks before the school year began and my current job in the luxury pen industry (even though the line is a bit jagged, by way of dropping out of law school, working as a timeshare salesman, and a food blogger for a few years). But the collateral damage of my occupation has meant that I have a bit more of a discerning – read: judgmental – eye about stationery. Sure, I’m not going to tell my seven-year-old nephew that his composition notebook is the worst type of paper for fountain pens and is prone to tearing and bleeding…but I am thinking it. You see, it’s hard to appreciate these annual, almost Proustian moments this time of year now that I’ve been exposed to higher quality journals over the past few years. If there is anyone to blame, it would be Smythson for this chip I have on my shoulder. The British company, who has been making luxury stationery since 1887, is by all accounts a brand that puts craftsmanship, heritage, and aesthetics into every product – and once you’ve had the best, it’s hard to go back. History of Smythson With London heritage evident in nearly every aspect of Smythson – from their branding to products to cheeky little sayings on notebooks – it’s evident how steeped the brand has been in British culture since its ...
SJX Watches
A perfect illustration of Hublot’s extravagant style and technical proficiency, the Hublot Big Bang MP-11 14 Day Power Reserve Water Blue Sapphire boasts 336 hours of power reserve thanks to seven laterally stacked barrels working with 90° bevel gears and a helical worm screw to drive the movement. This is a new variant of an existing model, with the difference being the case crafted from transparent “water blue” sapphire crystal. Initial thoughts Hublot is an anomaly. It’s one of the 20 biggest watchmakers in Switzerland by revenue and boasts a vertically integrated manufactured but is often criticised for being something of a “fashion” brand by enthusiasts and non-enthusiasts alike. Part of this pushback probably stems from the brand’s entry-level watches that use inexpensive stock movements that are priced expensively for what they are. The mechanics don’t live up to the price. That reasoning is sound, but it doesn’t reflect the brand’s top-of-the-line products. Like the recent MP-10, the new MP-11 reflects Hublot’s ability in movements and materials. Its manufacture develops and produces complex in-house calibres with unique complications and novel constructions, usually presented in cases made of novel materials with distinctive aesthetics and properties. The only downside of such complications is their size. The MP-11 is enormous at 45 mm in diameter, and it isn’t even the chunkiest watch that Hublot produces. This limits its wearability and ...
Time+Tide
I am certainly an advocate of your wrist, your wallet, your choice. I don’t ever want to “purchase shame” a watch collector. But, while I understand how the recent Rolex OP results happened, somehow they still baffle me. Discontinued plus Rolex always equals premium prices. This is nothing new. And watches like the Rolex OP … ContinuedThe post Are you kidding me? Two stock-standard Rolex OP watches each sell for over CHF 50K at Christie’s appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Deployant
The Luminox Commando Raider is an unusually bright Luminox, which has mostly opted for black or darker colored dial variants. It provides a more vibrant variant for those who appreciate a little more fanfare but maybe less appreciated by those who want more tactical accessorizing. That said, the bright green is not a blocker for those who prefer a tactical color, since there is also a black strap variant.
Time+Tide
In 1989, designer Emmanuel Gueit, who, at the time, worked for Audemars Piguet, presented a conceptual sketch that introduced a more robust take on the classic Genta designed Royal Oak. Its design, later realised for commercial release in 1993, came at a time where bigger and bulkier watches really spoke to a younger generation and … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The 2021 Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore reinvigorates the original design appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
As you might know, I am a bit of a dial fetishist, so when faced with a new limited collection from Grand Seiko, the risk is always there – that fear of repeating myself or getting so carried away that I overreach and baffle you with new adjectives that I’ve accidentally made up in an … ContinuedThe post HANDS ON: The Grand Seiko GMT Seasons Collection – Japanese dial mastery inspired by nature appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
As a "veteran of dive watch reviews for over three years," the Kansas-City native and part-time blogger is no slouch when it comes to immortalizing his opinions for his thirty-six subscribers.
SJX Watches
On April Fools’ Day last year, H. Moser & Cie. published a doctored image of a watch with an all-black dial missing hands, a riff on its watches with blacker-than-black dials. The hoax watch turned into something of a hit, which has led to the latest trio of limited editions, the Vantablack Black Hands – which will also be available online directly from the brand. All three watches – ranging from a stainless-steel base model to a limited-edition tourbillon – feature dials coated in Vantablack, a high-tech coating that absorbs almost all incident light – making it extremely and almost absolutely black – matched with black-coated hands. Because the coating on the hands is more of a dark grey, and also glossy, the hands do actually stand apart from the dial, appearing to be suspended in nothing because the dial is so black. The Endeavour Tourbillon with the reflection being on the crystal, rather than the dial Venturer Vantablack Black Hands XL in steel Invented by a spin-off from the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom, Vantablack is made up of carbon nanotubes arranged vertically, like a surface covered in really fine fur. The carbon nanotubes absorb 99.965% of incident light, resulting in a surface that resembles a deep, dark hole, which is an quirky and strangely appealing finish for a watch dial. Even though other substances are even blacker than Vantablack – with the record held by an MIT invention from 2019 – Vantablack is the best-known...
Time+Tide
[su_vimeo url=”https://vimeo.com/159277925″] After four years of Black Bay releases we expected the collection to take a well-earned rest on the Tudor bench in 2016. Well, that didn’t happen. Not only did the entire collection get an in-house upgrade and a new blacked-out model, but it was also given a bulkier, bronzed body. Meet the big daddy of … ContinuedThe post GONE IN 60 SECONDS: The biggest (bronzest) Tudor yet, meet the Black Bay Bronze appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Deployant
Apologies for falling slightly behind on my postings. I was in Dresden for the final review of my book last week, and some blip with blogger.com caused the Friday post to disappear. But today, I go back one of my favourites…the Spring Drive… The bezel is in sapphire. Long before Rolex or anyone else startedRead More
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