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Time+Tide
Editor’s note: In one of our favourite Sandra stories of all time, she takes aim at all the sacred cows of watch collecting, and skewers them. In style. When I talk with other women about watch collecting, the most common reaction runs along the lines of, “Oh, that’s just a sad guy thing” or “I … ContinuedThe post Are watches just an insecure guy thing? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
Independent watchmakers are a major presence at Only Watch 2019, accounting for almost half the 50 lots in the charity auction coming. Importantly, two of them will probably end up in the top five by value – the F.P. Journe Astronomic Blue and the Rexhep Rexhepi Chronomètre Contemporain “Only Watch”. While the Astronomic Blue is the most complicated wristwatch F.P. Journe has ever made, the Chronomètre Contemporain “Only Watch” is a time-only watch, with a suitably modest estimate of 40,000-60,000 Swiss francs, though it’ll probably sell for five to seven times the low estimate. Hammered, and enamelled The key element that sets the “Only Watch” edition apart from the standard Chronomètre Contemporain is the dial. Completely unique because of the technique – used here for the first time in an Akrivia watch – the dial combines the surfaces finish of Akrivia’s two distinct collections: the hand-hammered decoration of the contemporary AK line and the vitreous enamel of the classic Rexhep Rexhepi range, named after the brand’s founder. Several attempts were required to get a perfect dial – Rexhep showed me one of the rejects with a cloudy finish in September – but the result is quietly impressive. Note that it is hammered and then enamelled, but not hammered enamel. Ordinarily a new dial colour doesn’t mean very much, but because the Chronomètre Contemporain regarded, and Rexhep has kept his promise not to do variations or custom orders of th...
SJX Watches
It’s been an open secret for years that A. Lange & Söhne has been working on a sports watch, ever since the time of its founding chief executive Gunter Blumlein, so the latest launch is not a surprise. Ideas percolate for a long time at Lange: the digital time display, for instance, was first mooted in 2001, but only introduced in 2009 with the Zeitwerk. And now it is has finally arrived. Named Odysseus Datomatic, the watch is a day-date that’s the first in a new line of sports watches of the same name. It’s a 40.5mm watch in steel, rated to 120m, and powered by a new automatic movement. Initial thoughts I like and respect Lange tremendously, because its products are all engineered and finished well. Despite being a largely mainstream brand owned by a luxury group, Lange has managed to retain its characteristic quality. I do find some of the watches needlessly complicated or over designed, but the fundamental quality is unquestionable. For that reason, I hoped I would like the sports watch. And I do, but not the bracelet. I spoke with Lange chief executive Wilhelm Schmid just before the launch, and he summed up the Odysseus: “We have not changed our fine watchmaking. It’s typical Lange, but it took us a long time to find the face and find the design.” The watch – minus the bracelet – looks like a Lange, which means it’s serious looking, a bit plain, but obviously high quality from the way the small details catch the light. On the wrist the Odysseus sit...
SJX Watches
The only independent watchmaker in Hungary, Aaron Becsei, or more properly Becsei Áron, has created a distinctive style for his eponymous brand, Bexei – ornate, Gothic engraving; a double-ellipse case; and top-class movement finishing. His latest creation, a custom and unique grande and petite sonnerie wristwatch named Vox Vinum, is all of the above, except in a more conventional round case. Created at the behest of an important, Asian collector of independent watchmaking, the grande sonnerie took more than a year to complete. It is the first, and so far only, striking watch ever produced by Bexei. The Vox Vinum The grand sonnerie A grande et petite sonnerie – French for “large and small strike” – is widely regarded as the pinnacle of mechanical watchmaking. Also known as a clockwatch, it strikes the hours and quarters en passant, as they pass. And it is also a minute repeater, being able to chime the time on demand. Modern day grande sonnerie wristwatches are exceedingly rare – the number of watchmakers having produced one can be counted on both hands. The most notable makers of grande sonnerie wristwatches are Patek Philippe with its Grandmaster Chime, F.P. Journe with the recently discontinued Sonnerie Souverain, and Greubel Forsey as well as Vacheron Constantin, both of which use the same base movement in their respective grande sonnerie wristwatches. But the pioneers in the field were Philippe Dufour in 1992, and followed shortly after by Gerald Gen...
Hodinkee
Phillips smashes it out of the park with a killer collection of ready-to-buy vintage Swatch watches.
Hodinkee
As the El Primero turns 50, take a look back at the story of its birth and the man that protected its very existence.
Deployant
Following last week's topic on Tastebreakers, we take a look yet again at six watch recommendations consisting of watches that are often overlooked by many.
Time+Tide
Editor’s note: It should come as no surprise that Hublot know their way around ceramic. I mean, seriously, just look at the vibrancy of this red. It really is magic. Read on for our review … The story in a second: It’s big. It’s red. It’s Hublot. Red is a colour with some pretty specific … ContinuedThe post The incREDible Hublot Big Bang Unico Red Magic appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Deployant
We take a look at the Loupe System macro attachment for smart phones, and compare it with a brandless macro attachment, and give you our thoughts.
Time+Tide
In their upcoming auction, Phillips is focusing their attention on the finest examples of highly coveted double-signed dials. A double-signed dial is where a brand has allowed the name of the retailer that will sell the watch to appear on the dial, alongside the brand’s name. Retailers that have had the opportunity to showcase their … ContinuedThe post RECOMMENDED WATCHING: René Beyer on Beyer double-signed dials appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
When IWC celebrated its 150th anniversary last year, it unveiled a large line-up of commemorative watches, including the clever and well-priced Tribute to Pallweber digital jump hour (and also opened an expansive new factory). But there was one more anniversary that has been pretty much a company secret until now: the Mark XVIII gifted to staff members at IWC headquarters in Schaffhausen. Over lunch yesterday, I spotted the Mark XVIII on the wrist of IWC museum curator David Seyffer. Given Dr Seyffer’s position – and access to some of the rarest and most desirable IWC watches – I was surprised that he was wearing the entry-level Pilot’s Watch. But when Dr Seyffer handed the watch over, he explained, with an evident amount of pride, this was no ordinary Mark XVIII. On the front, the watch has a 40mm steel case and metallic, dark blue dial that’s similar to a standard watch in the IWC Pilot’s Watch line-up. But on the back, it features the IWC 150th anniversary emblem, and just below that, the name of the employee who received the watch. According to Dr Seyffer, it was chief executive Chris Grainger-Herr’s idea to gift each employee at IWC headquarters a watch as a token of appreciation for their contribution to IWC’s 150 years of success. Male employees were given a Mark XVIII on a black Santoni leather strap, while female staff members were given a Pilot’s Watch Automatic 36 on a steel bracelet. The total number produced is unknown, but IWC has about 700...
Time+Tide
Editor’s note: The Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Yellow Sapphire perfectly typifies why the Swiss watchmaker is at the forefront of material innovation and design aesthetic - you just don’t see many watches out there like this. This particular Spirit of Big Bang was actually the first watch in the world to be made of … ContinuedThe post Black and Hello: Rediscovering the Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Yellow Sapphire appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Linde Werdelin has once again teamed up with master engraver and artist Johnny “King Nerd” Dowell to create this – the Linde Werdelin Oktopus Volcano. Dowell, who was an engraver at the notable British gun makers James Purdey & Sons for 15 years, has previously worked with Linde Werdelin to create the Oktopus Reef and … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The Linde Werdelin Oktopus Volcano appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Deployant
We caught up with AHCI Japanese Master watchmaker Masahiro Kikuno and saw the Wadokei Temporal Hour watch. He is exhibiting at JeweLuxe, drop by to visit.
Quill & Pad
As SIHH rebrands to become Watches & Wonders Geneva, it becomes apparent that the trade fairs are morphing into something new and perhaps unexpected. Elizabeth Doerr takes a look at the latest from SIHH and Baselworld.
Time+Tide
Editor’s note: From a purely real estate perspective, the dial is the most important part of the watch. It’s what you look at most of the time, and it’s the functional heart and soul of the watch. And while I’m willing to admit that other parts of the watch might play a role, let’s roll … ContinuedThe post Aten-shun! The Longines Heritage Military is on parade appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
The argument could quite easily be made that most watch manufacturers in attendance at this year’s Baselworld watch fair tended to err on the side of caution when it came to releasing new timepieces. However, Seiko certainly bucked this trend, unveiling quite a few new and exciting timepieces, and surprising the collective horological community with … ContinuedThe post Get to the boutique! The Seiko SNJ025 Solar ‘Arnie’ appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Amidst the morass of vintage reissues that almost all brands seem to have tried their hand at recently, Longines has been successfully combing their archives for the best examples that translate to current tastes, and have done so with good success in recent years. Even in the context of their well-executed reissues of military, chronograph … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: Longines Heritage Classic with “Sector Dial” appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
If I had a million dollars, or maybe two, to buy a Rolex, I could perhaps buy a ref. 4113 split-seconds, which is very large, very flat – a bit too large and flat for me – and exceptionally rare. Or I could buy a ref. 8171 triple calendar in steel, one in almost “new old stock” condition, as Phillips has in its upcoming Geneva auction. The ref. 8171 in question reminds me of the 369-year old Jehan Cremsdorff pocket watch Sotheby’s sold in the summer – it’s hard to believe something that old, admittedly not quite four centuries, can be so well preserved. The “Padellone” is incredibly – incredibly – clean and crisp. Up close, the ref. 8171 speaks for itself. The dial looks like the watch left the factory recently. It is clean, neat and the date track is in pure, vivid blue. Similarly, the hands are free of marks, meaning they were seldom, or never, removed from the dial. The condition of the dial is all the more unusual due to the fact that the ref. 8171 is not an Oyster. Instead, it has a snap-on back, instead of the water-resistant, screw-on back found on the Oyster watch case. Over time, snap backs tend to lose their water-resistance as a consequence of corrosion or deformation from repeated opening, which is why most ref. 8171s have dials that show obvious ageing. An example of a ref. 8171 with a dial showing ageing, this one offered at Christie’s Hong Kong in 2017 The steel case is similarly well preserved. Fortunately, steel is nota...
Quill & Pad
The Swatch Tresor Magique might have a platinum case, but it looks like something Harry Potter would have appreciated wearing while attending classes at Hogwarts. However, there is more that is even notable about this watch, which Martin Green divulges here.
Time+Tide
Fifty years ago, Seiko released one of the first ever automatic chronograph movements in a watershed moment in watchmaking. To mark the occasion, Seiko has released the Seiko Automatic Chronograph 50th Anniversary SRQ029J, a watch that smartly dances the line between heritage and modern. We got a chance to take a closer look at the … ContinuedThe post Celebrating half a century with the Seiko Automatic Chronograph 50th Anniversary SRQ029J appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Travel watches are typically seen as a rough-and-ready affair, a style dominated by hardy steel pieces that often seem to speak a language of adventure rather than luxury. But honestly, while this reflects a romanticised notion of travel, the reality, especially at the pointy end, is a much more civilised affair. If civilised travel is … ContinuedThe post VIDEO: Blancpain’s Villeret GMT Date ensures elegance, no matter the time zone appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Editor’s note: Christopher Ward is a name that pops up whenever someone is looking for a watch that offers a solid value proposition, and this remarkably well-priced worldtimer proves the point. Stylish times, no matter where you are in the world … Worldtimers - which allow you to, at a glance, quickly determine the time … ContinuedThe post Is this the most accessible true worldtimer on the market right now? The Christopher Ward C1 Grand Malvern Worldtimer appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Cartier is a brand that doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but instead gradually evolves their designs over decades, refining and purifying their core look with each year that goes by. For their latest collection, released at SIHH 2019, the focus was the Cartier Santos-Dumont, a dress watch that is both classically sized and slim, offering one … ContinuedThe post The Cartier Santos-Dumont is a lesson in distilled elegance appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
To say there was quite a bit of controversy when Rolex unveiled the two-tone Sea-Dweller ref. 126603 at this year’s Baselworld is, at the very least, an understatement. In fact, there was nothing short of a litany of disparaging comments, which varied greatly in context, and ranged from questioning the two-tone Sea Dweller’s validity as … ContinuedThe post Rolesor in the deep – the Rolex Sea-Dweller Reference 126603 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Deployant
We take a close look at the Breitling Premier B01 42 Bentley Centenary Limited Edition in Red Gold, with our large format Watchscape wallpapers.
Hodinkee
Let's take a look at what happens when form really does follow function.
SJX Watches
Hermès, as a brand, usually has an elegant, light and sometimes whimsical house style that makes it unique amongst luxury houses. The Arceau L’Heure De La Lune unveiled at SIHH at the start of the year exemplifies the house style, although the case is thicker than ideal. Functionally, the Arceau L’Heure De La Lune is a straightforward watch – it shows the time, date and phases of the Moon in both the Southern and Northern hemispheres. But the execution of the time and date is striking and clever. Orbital moon phases The two are essentially orbital displays, as each is on a sub-dial mounted on a rotating, central carousel. The carousel take 59 days to make one complete revolution around the dial. But each sub-dial also rotates on itself as the carousel turns. As a result, each sub-dial is always the right way up regardless of its position. Both sub-dials also double up as the moon phase indicator, with position of each sub-dial indicating the age of the Moon in each hemisphere. And in a bit of whimsy, the hemispheres have been inverted, with the Southern on top and Northern below. The Arceau L’Heure De La Lune with a meteorite dial The inventive display was built by Chronode, the complications specialist founded by Jean-Francois Mojon, which has a diverse body of work that includes Urban Jurgensen’s P4 movement, the MB&F; LM2, and the constant force tourbillon of IWC. The display module by Chronode. Photo – Hermes Chronode conceived and builds the ...
Revolution
Wei Koh spends some quality time with Wilhelm Schmid, CEO of A. Lange & Söhne at the Hampton Court Concours d’Elegance.
Time+Tide
The story in a second: The anOrdain Model 2 is an unbelievable dial at an unbelievable price. From where I’m sitting, 2019 has been a fairly quiet year on the watch front, thanks to a more fragmented release schedule than usual and a general sense of reticence on behalf of many big brands to push the … ContinuedThe post IN-DEPTH: The anOrdain Model 2 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
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