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Quill & Pad
The original DB28 has recently lost its place for Martin Green as the ideal watch for the wrist of Star Trek's Captain Jean-Luc Picard on the bridge of the Starship Enterprise. It’s now been replaced by another De Bethune: the out-of-this-world DB28XP Meteorite.
Time+Tide
Meghan Markle is now polarising the watch world because of the way she wears Princess Diana's Cartier Tank Française.The post Meghan Markle is now polarising the watch world, too, because of how she wears Princess Diana’s gold Cartier appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
I did choose to be very optimistic in my story last week about the astounding Vacheron Constantin Tour de L’Ile reaching a cool record $3 million to kick off a healthy 2021. The estimate was set at Antiquorum’s Important Modern & Vintage Timepieces in Monaco to a spread of $1.8 – $3 million. But the watch … ContinuedThe post AUCTION NEWS: This Vacheron Constantin sold for just 40 per cent of its $3 million prediction. Is 2021 off to a catastrophically slow start? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
The Octo Finissimo has become a real fan-favorite in the watch community and redefined expectations for the ultra-thin watch category. Many have expressed concern about the saturation of integrated stainless-steel sports watches, but the Bulgari Octo Finissimo, originally introduced in 2014 gave buyers the best of both worlds: an integrated bracelet sports watch, but with … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The Bulgari Octo Finissimo S Silvered Dial is the Silver Surfer we never knew we wanted… appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Titanium: the strong, ultralight metal of the future. Once exclusive to Formula 1 cars and racing bike parts, now you can get hold of it in watch form for less than than $500 in a limited edition with a full titanium bracelet. The Boldr Venture Chaigo might be the world’s best value titanium watch at … ContinuedThe post MICRO MONDAYS: A titanium watch for under $500? No, we haven’t been drinking. Meet the Boldr Venture Chaigo… appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
The most expensive wristwatch ever sold when it achieved US$17.52m at Phillips, the Rolex “Paul Newman” Daytona once owned by the actor was a high watermark in vintage Rolex collecting when it sold in 2017. And now Phillips has sold another vintage Daytona owned by the late actor – a ref. 6263 “Big Red” – for US$5.48m including fees. Gifted by Newman to his daughter Clea in 2008, the ref. 6263 was originally given to Newman by his wife, engraved with a dedication on the back, just like the Daytona sold in 2017. Though selling for less than the 2017 example, the ref. 6263 becomes the third most valuable Rolex sold at auction, after the first Paul Newman Daytona and the ref. 6062 “Bao Dai” once owned by the last Emperor of Vietnam. Paul Newman pictured with the ref. 6263 in the 1980s The bidding for the Daytona opened at a little under US$1.00m, but dramatically jumped to US$2.00m with a bid by Paul Boutros of Phillips’ New York office. It progressed swiftly, with numerous bidders contesting the lot. But the winner was the bidder represented by Livia Russo of Phillips in Geneva, who clinched it with a US$4.50m bid, which totals US$5.48m with fees. Intriguingly, auctioneer Aurel Bacs commented during the bidding that if Ms Russo’s client won the watch, it would disappear into a private collection like the record-setting Daytona sold in 2017 – though he did not say it was the same client that that bought both watches.
SJX Watches
An iconic auto-racing chronograph of the 1970s, the Monaco ref. 1133 was nicknamed the “Steve McQueen” after the actor wore one in the 1971 film Le Mans. And now one of the actual examples worn by McQueen in the film has just become the most expensive Heuer ever sold, achieving US$2.21m with fees at Phillips’ New York auction. There were several Monacos on hand for the production of Le Mans, with McQueen retaining two after filming wrapped. The record-setting watch in question is one of the two that McQueen gifted to Haig Alltounian, both the chief mechanic for the film as well as the actor’s personal mechanic. McQueen (left) and Haig Alltounian (far right) during the filming of Le Mans Mr Alltounian received the watch – engraved with “To Haig Le Mans 1970” on the back – just after filming for Le Mans concluded. Mr Alltounian himself consigned the watch to Phillips for its recent New York watch auction, making its provenance impeccable. The bidding opened at US$150,000, progressing steadily until the air thinned at the half-million dollar mark – which leads to the conclusion that the majority of bidders had a similar limit in mind. Then only three phone bidders were left. The three-way tussle ended with a US$1.8m hammer price – with London-based James Marks of Phillips winning the lot for his client. The result was US$2.2m inclusive of fees, an all-time record for any Heuer watch. It’s also a convenient feather in the cap for TAG Heuer, which is ...
SJX Watches
Having recently ditched its takeover of Tiffany & Co. – citing looming US tariffs on French goods – LVMH has now done what many industry insiders long expected – clinching the deal at a lower price. The owner of Louis Vuitton and Bulgari will pay US$131.50 a share for the American jeweller, instead of the US$135 originally agreed. The discount is more modest than expected, slightly over 2%, which translates into savings of about US$400m, against a total deal value of about US$15.8 billion. The deal is expected to close in early 2021. Regardless of the price, Tiffany is an important addition to LVMH’s expansive stable of luxury brands. Although LVMH is the world’s largest biggest group by a large margin – its 2019 sales were €53.7 billion – it has a comparatively small presence in “hard” luxury, namely watches and jewellery. That segment now makes up less than 10% of its sales, but Tiffany will bulk it up significantly. In fact, the deal’s completion will mean that LVMH owns two of the three largest makers of branded jewellery – Tiffany and Bulgari.
Time+Tide
After the success of the previous Swatch x 007 collaboration, another tough and colourful watch is back, now exclusively in time for the release of No Time To Die. In his infinite wisdom, Q has tinkered away in his basement and come up with the Swatch x 007 ²Q. Here we have a brash and … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: No Time To Die might be delayed, but the new Swatch x 007 ²Q is available right now appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
Earlier this year Swatch released the Swatch x 007 collection made up of six watches, each inspired by a James Bond movie from 1962 to 2006, in the lead-up to the premiere of the latest Bond flick, No Time to Die. Then the watchmaker worked with the movie’s design team to imagine a watch suitable for Q, the MI6 gadget chief who outfits Bond in every film, resulting in the ²Q. It was originally launched in March 2020 as a limited edition with red accents – Ben Whishaw as Q in the film will be wearing one – but now the blue version has been unveiled to coincide with the film’s release. But because No Time to Die has been delayed yet again, to April 2021, the watch is going it alone. Initial thoughts Unlike Swatch x 007 watches from earlier in the year that were elaborate in style and colour, the ²Q is pared-back and slightly mechanical in style, but avoids being boring thanks to an open dial and red accents. It is surprisingly interesting to see the insides of a quartz watch, which is not often revealed since mechanical movements are more commonly exposed. The design is simple but executed well. For instance, the red flange slopes downwards to the brushed chapter ring for the hours, adding some depth to the face. At 42 mm in diameter, the ²Q is larger than earlier 007 editions. That also holds true for the price, which at US$220 is also steeper than usual, but still eminently affordable compared to Omega’s 007 Seamaster. Q details Based on the Skin Irony mod...
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
Announced shortly before COVID-19 made the news, the US$16 billion deal to take over Tiffany & Co. has been scrapped by LVMH. The French luxury conglomerate, which counts Louis Vuitton, Dior, and Hublot amongst its brands, cited the looming tariffs on French goods announced by the United States. That led to instructions from the French government to delay the deal until January 2021, according to LVMH. Another reason cited by the French group was Tiffany’s request for extension of the closing date for the deal, from November to December. In response, Tiffany filed a lawsuit in the United States, seeking to force LVMH to complete the deal. Regardless of the motives behind the withdrawal, it appears to be a shrewd move by LVMH, which is controlled by Bernard Arnault, the richest man in France and widely regarded to be a hard-nosed dealmaker. In the 10 months since the deal has been announced, the world has changed drastically. The state of the the industry makes it likely that LVMH will be able to find cheaper avenues to cement its position as the world’s biggest luxury group. Tiffany shares fell almost 10% in pre-market trading on the news, while LVMH declined about 0.9% during the trading day in Paris.
SJX Watches
I love the Tank Cintrée, and that was the starting point for the Tank Cintrée “Eminence Grise” NSO. Cartier’s simple, unchanging designs are unique in watchmaking, despite being made up of classical elements like Breguet hands and Roman numerals. In fact, the Cartier can be distilled into a few key elements iterated across different case forms, which together make up a family of distinctive designs. My favourite Cartier design has long been the Tank Asymetrique – which Cartier just reissued this year – but it is not an especially ergonomic watch due to the case shape and the fact that the crown sits fairly low such that it touches the wrist. Though known as a Tank today, the Asymetrique is not strictly a Tank, since the vintage originals were a distinct model sometimes known as the Parallélogramme. A 1927 Tank Cintrée that sold for US$350,000 at Phillips in 2017 The Tank Cintrée, on the other hand, is an eminently wearable watch that is wonderfully elegant on the wrist. It just wears well. And the Cintrée is also an important design. Though it was not the first Tank design, the Cintrée – the word is French for “curved” – is perhaps the quintessential case shape. And partly for those reasons, it is arguable the most desirable, going by the six-figure results at auction for vintage specimens. Familiar yet different The Eminence Grise was my third special-dial Cartier, sometimes known as NSO, short for “new special order”. The first was also a Ta...
Hodinkee
The short-lived auction appears to be no more.
Hodinkee
ETA now can operate freely in Switzerland's more competitive mechanical movement market, COMCO says.
Time+Tide
So, remember how TAG Heuer pretty much stopped the show at LVMH’s Dubai Watch Week at the start of this year with their stunning Carrera 160 Years Silver? Remember how much you, and pretty much every other person in our community, immediately wanted one, only to be told that all 1860 examples were sold out? Well, … ContinuedThe post Attention all! You can preorder TAG Heuer’s 3 recent limited editions online right now, including Fragment Design and Montreal 160th appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Revolution and The Rake magazines have rallied together to put on a charity auction to support those impacted by Covid-19. Called the ‘Revolution x The Rake Covid-19 Solidarity Auction’, this online event is now live and there are plenty of interesting and noteworthy watches to bid on. The auction will feature several one-off piece-unique timepieces, … ContinuedThe post 5 interesting watches you can bid on right now from the Revolution x The Rake Covid-19 Solidarity Auction, inc. one worn on screen by Ryan Reynolds appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Deployant
Breaking News: Geneva Watch Days will take place from August 26th to 29th. Luxury maisons taking part: Bvlgari, Breitling, De Bethune, Gerald Genta, Girard-Perregaux, H. Moser & Cie, MB&F;, Ulysse Nardin and Urwerk.
SJX Watches
With Baselworld all but finished in name – with the COVID-19 pandemic having served as the catalyst for its demise – its organiser has already lined up a potential replacement, according to Swiss newspaper Handelzeitung. Events company MCH Group, which owns Baselworld and Art Basel, registered the trademark “Swiss Watch Week” in late January 2020, perhaps an indication its management already knew that Baselworld was untenable. Departing Basel, the city that the namesake watch fair had called home for decades is seen as crucial to escape the baggage and bad publicity that has dogged Baselworld. A good part of the criticism levelled at the fair concerns the opportunistic pricing imposed by restaurants, hotels, and other accommodation during the fair. The result was a slow burn that culminated in the end of Baselworld. A scene never to be seen again – the halls of Messe Basel packed with watch brands. Photo – Baselworld Once the world’s largest watch and jewellery fair, Baselworld was hit by a gradually accelerating string of departures, starting in 2018 with industry giant Swatch Group – owner of brands like Omega, Longines, and Tissot – citing the exorbitant cost of exhibiting and other city-related expenses. Swatch was followed by Seiko and others in 2019. But the fatal blow arrived in April 2020, when the fair’s biggest exhibitors – Rolex, Patek Philippe, Chanel, Chopard, and Tudor – pulled out and announced a move to a new, yet-to-be-named fair in...
SJX Watches
An educator turned guilloche specialist, Joshua Shapiro launched his namesake brand, J.N. Shapiro, in 2018 with the Infinity Series. a classically-styled wristwatch with a hand-made guilloche dial featuring a nested engine-turned pattern of his own invention. His latest creation is the Infinity Series P.01, a collaboration with Collective, an American watch-collector club. Though it looks similar to the standard Infinity Series at first glance, the P.01 most definitely isn’t. While it does have a guilloche dial, the dial material is not the usual silver and gold, but meteorite – a first in watchmaking. Initial thoughts Two things stand set the P.01 apart from Mr Shapiro’s work so far. The first is tangibly impressive – an engine-turned meteorite dial, a significant accomplishment in terms of craft and skill. The result is a striking surface that overlays the natural and random Widmanstätten pattern of the meteorite with Mr Shapiro’s sharply-executed engine turning, which sounds confusing but appears to be a pleasing mix of order and chaos. But perhaps more important for J.N. Shapiro as a brand is the brand-new serif typeface for the Arabic hour numerals. Designed with the help of an artist, the numerals give the watch a style that’s distinct – and more 20th century contemporary – compared to the typical J.N. Shapiro watch that features Roman numerals and a Breguet-inspired aesthetic. And the P.01 starts at US$21,500 in steel, which is not that much mor...
Hodinkee
"No one can say when we will see economic activity normalize," Johann Rupert suggests.
SJX Watches
Richemont’s fourth quarter was one of the victims of the COVID-19 pandemic, pulling down its results for the full year to end-March 2020. Even though the full year’s tally was not down substantially, Richemont chairman Johann Rupert was gloomy in his prediction for the coming year. China, the first country to recover from the pandemic, has “apparently returned to ‘business as usual’ remarkably quickly” and Richemont stores there are enjoying now “strong demand”. But because everywhere else is only partway through the crisis, the plain-speaking South African tycoon raised the possibility of “12, 24 or 36 months of grave economic consequences”, while halving the annual dividend to €1 a share to conserve cash. Johann Rupert. Photo – Richemont The Swiss luxury conglomerate, which owns brands like Cartier, IWC, and Panerai, enjoyed “good sales performance” until the fourth quarter, with its jewellery brands and online retail performing better than other divisions, including watchmaking, which has lagged for several quarters. At actual exchange rates, annual sales eked out a 2% rise to €14.2 billion, with most regions growing slightly, save for a 5% decline in Asia Pacific. Net profit fell 34%, excluding a one-off, non-cash gain due to a share revaluation the year prior. The declines were largely due to the fourth quarter, where Richemont took a massive hit. In the last quarter, sales fell by 18% globally, with Hong Kong crashing 67%. The group end...
Time+Tide
In what is surely, surely the last press release relating to the collapse of Baselworld, the MCH Group has announced that it has “taken the decision not to hold Baselworld in 2021”. Insert saddest ever meme here. The release also outlines the “amicable” end to a dispute over brands accessing refunds for this year’s cancelled … ContinuedThe post Baselworld officially cancelled for 2021, though MCH Group considering comeback via “follow-up formats”; journalists just pleased press releases will stop now appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
This week’s gone full Speedmaster. On Saturday, it was the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 13 mission, deemed to be a “successful failure”, because there was indeed a major malfunction, but all astronauts on the mission lived to talk about it. I was very fortunate to have heard this story told by one of the … ContinuedThe post Tasneem’s Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch connects him to more people on earth than he knew before appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Quill & Pad
The point of the large watch fairs is (or was) the sheer scale of their visitor numbers. In no other venue can brands meet with so many clients, collectors and press, and vice versa. If a large fair is limited in visitor capacity by health restrictions, can it still dominate the launch cycles of big brands? Ian Skellern examines likely winners and losers of the brave new world of exhibitions in 2021.
SJX Watches
Swiss private bank Vontobel has just published its highly-regarded annual report on the luxury watch industry – the news for 2020 is grim. Put together by a team led by managing director Rene Weber, the Vontobel Luxury Goods Shop predicts a 25% fall in Swiss watch exports in 2020 – the biggest drop in 50 years as a result of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. A proxy for the global luxury watch market, Swiss watch exports declined 22% during the 2008 financial crisis, and recovered swiftly the year after. But during the financial crisis there were no store or factory closures, and no halt to international travel. Since mid-March most watch brands, including giants Rolex and Patek Philippe, have shut their factories, or introduced short-time work, with between 60-70% of employees at Swatch Group working reduced hours. File photo of the Rolex factory in Bienne that’s gone quiet for now. Photo – Rolex At the peak of the pandemic in China, when practically the entire country was in lockdown, Vontobel estimated February sales fell 80%, something it expects will be repeated throughout the rest of the world. And even e-commerce is not enough to alleviate the situation substantially, because of logistical challenges. The report notes that as of mid-March,”the Swiss watch industry has come to an almost global standstill.” Unsurprisingly, the bank expects the pandemic to result in a steeper fall and slower recovery for the Swiss watch industry. The bank expects a s...
SJX Watches
Having postponed its traditional April and May watch auctions till June and July respectively – no doubt with fingers crossed and a quiet prayer – as a result of the COVID-19 coronavirus, Sotheby’s has just announced Watches Weekly, an ongoing series of online-only watch auctions starting April 1, 2020. The auctions will take place on a rolling basis, with each sale lasting a week, then followed by the next sale, and so on. Each auction be centred around a theme while being relatively compact – the first sale is made up of 19 watches by Rolex and Audemars Piguet. The subsequent auctions will be Patek Philippe Design and Horology from April 8-15, then something for bargain hunters, Swiss Wristwatches with no reserve on April 15-22. Sam Hines, Sotheby’s global head of watches, explained the move in the announcement: “[Clients] are also increasingly confident [of buying] important pieces online. This was demonstrated last week, when we set a new record for a watch sold online at Sotheby’s [162,500 Swiss francs for a Rolex Daytona “Paul Newman” ref. 6262].” According to Mr Hines, the newly-announced online auctions will “complement the calendar of live sales and other online auctions already planned for the rest of the year”, implying that the rest of the auction calendar will proceed as planned. Watches Weekly makes Sotheby’s the first mainstream watch auctioneer – its peers are Christie’s, Phillips, and to a lesser degree, Antiquorum – to s...
Time+Tide
Good news is hard to find in today’s locked down, socially distanced world. But we have some. Because today, after patiently waiting for all watches to be received by their buyers (two of the remaining watches are unique pieces and are still in production), we went to the bank and drew five bank cheques for … ContinuedThe post Some good news in the gloom, we just sent out the first round of bushfire donations! appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
Trade body Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry (FH) just released its monthly export figures for Swiss watches – a proxy for the broader luxury watch market since Swiss timepieces dominate – and the February numbers are bleak. The month’s statistics illustrate two obvious trends that have shaped in the industry recently: the COVID-19 coronavirus is having a massive impact, and low-cost Swiss watches are being trounced by low-cost smartwatches. An Asian crisis, for now Compared with February last year, the value of exports globally declined by 9.2% – with export volume plunging 22.2% – but as the report notes darkly, the drop “does not yet fully reflect the actual situation in certain markets.” Unsurprisingly, the steepest declines were in the biggest Asian markets – China and Hong Kong – which suffered the worst period of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic in the first two months of the year. The biggest fall was in Hong Kong, where exports fell 42% – the largest monthly decline in 20 years. The city imported just CHF143m of Swiss watches, compared to CHF246m for the same month last year. Exports to China fell 51.5% to CHF73m, from CHF151m for February 2019. February was merely an acceleration of a months-long decline. For the first three months of the year, exports to Hong Kong have fallen 33% compared to the same period last year, while exports to China are down 22%. Though exports to other large markets like the United States, Singapore, and Germa...
Time+Tide
Rolex Chief Executive Jean-Frédéric Dufour has today informed Rolex staff that they will be shutting down three factories in response to the increasing threat of COVID-19, from 5pm today. First reported by WatchPro USA, the news of the shut down was shared to Rolex employees in a letter, indicating the shut-down is set to last … ContinuedThe post BREAKING NEWS: Rolex shuts down production for 10 days, closing three factories appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
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