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Omega Introduces the Seamaster Aqua Terra Ultra Light SJX Watches
Richard Mille Aug 27, 2019

Omega Introduces the Seamaster Aqua Terra Ultra Light

Omega’s latest debut is a surprising one, an incredibly light wristwatch that is also incredibly expensive – traditionally territory held by brands like Richard Mille. Weighing just 55g, or about 10 sheets of A4 printer paper, the Seamaster Aqua Terra Ultra Light is made almost entirely of titanium, right down to the bridges and plate of the movement. And it retails for US$48,600. Developed in collaboration with Omega ambassador Rory McIlroy, a four-time majors champion and former world number one, the Aqua Terra Ultra Light is ostensibly conceived to be worn by athletes during competitions. A new(ish) alloy The case is 41mm but made from what Omega calls Gamma Titanium, which is actually titanium aluminide (TiAl), a relatively new titanium alloy that’s prized for its hardness and corrosion-resistance, even at high temperatures. That’s why it’s used for the blades of jet engines, amongst other things. Because the watch is meant to be worn by sportsmen, the crown is recessed and telescopic. It sits almost flush with the case when not in use, but a gentle push pops it out for winding and setting. And the dial is also titanium, but fashioned from a more common grade 5 alloy. It’s is finished with the signature horizontal fluting of the Aqua Terra range. The first titanium movement More unusually, the cal. 8928 Ti inside is also made mostly of titanium. The bridges and base plate are made of ceramised titanium, which is titanium coated with ceramic. The movem...

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We chat to Paxton Wong, the man behind Watchfest, Australia’s first watch convention Time+Tide
Rado xical but Aug 26, 2019

We chat to Paxton Wong, the man behind Watchfest, Australia’s first watch convention

It’s somewhat paradoxical, but the explosion of interest in fine timepieces, fuelled by the internet and social media, has also resulted in the increased popularity of offline meetings. And they’ve always been there - before Instagram and Facebook were the prime drivers of the ‘watchfam’, it was the various watch forums, like Timezone and Purists, … ContinuedThe post We chat to Paxton Wong, the man behind Watchfest, Australia’s first watch convention appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

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A closer look at TAG Heuer’s Carrera Heuer 02 Tourbillon in black ceramic  Time+Tide
TAG Heuer s Carrera Heuer 02 Aug 17, 2019

A closer look at TAG Heuer’s Carrera Heuer 02 Tourbillon in black ceramic 

Editor’s note: Earlier this week we had a look at a few TAG Heuer Tourbillons, including the impressive new Nanograph - with its fancy new carbon escapement and yellow highlights. But we’ve also still got the hots for one of the original models, this all-black beauty clad in ultra-tough ceramic. Dark, meet handsome.  Owning a … ContinuedThe post A closer look at TAG Heuer’s Carrera Heuer 02 Tourbillon in black ceramic  appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

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Ever fancied owning a piece of Australian political history? How about Bob Hawke’s watch?  Time+Tide
Aug 13, 2019

Ever fancied owning a piece of Australian political history? How about Bob Hawke’s watch? 

Former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke, who died in May this year, stands as one of the country’s most colourful - and beloved - political figures. He also enjoyed a particularly long tenure as PM, from March 1983 until December 1991, winning four elections as Labor leader. And while his political legacy includes the creation … ContinuedThe post Ever fancied owning a piece of Australian political history? How about Bob Hawke’s watch?  appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

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The DOXA Chronograph – as good as their divers? Time+Tide
Doxa Chronograph – as good Aug 11, 2019

The DOXA Chronograph – as good as their divers?

Editor’s note: Everyone knows Doxa make a great dive watch, but not as many people know they also produced excellent chronographs in the 1940s and ’50s. This is the story of one of those watches, a black dial Doxa chronograph with a spiral telemeter scale, worth significantly more than the €1200 Paul originally laid down … ContinuedThe post The DOXA Chronograph – as good as their divers? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

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Hands-On: H. Moser & Cie Endeavour Tourbillon Concept SJX Watches
H. Moser & Cie Endeavour Tourbillon Aug 2, 2019

Hands-On: H. Moser & Cie Endeavour Tourbillon Concept

Every year H. Moser & Cie. introduces an over the top, sometimes controversial watch – this year’s headliner was covered in grass – while also doing the opposite with its minimalist “concept” watches. Forsaking logos and numerals or indices, the concept watches have a clean yet colourful aesthetic coupled with appealing in-house movements – a tribute to stealth luxury. The latest iteration of the idea is the Endeavour Tourbillon Concept Cosmic Green, a variation of the first model from two years ago. The watch now has a sublime green fumé dial. Though Moser relies on graduated dials often, maybe too often, it is still an attractive look, here with the added interest provided by the flying tourbillon. While not unique to Moser, the graduated tone fumé dials are almost a better calling card than the brand’s logo. In fact, all of Moser’s bestsellers feature this intriguing finish that has the dial colour darkening towards the edge, with the effect now available in several colour variations, including blue, grey and green. The green dial is striking, and quite mesmerising the first time you see it. Up close, the dial is more subdued than in the stock images of the watch, more sea green than forest green. Given the emptiness of the upper half of the dial, the sunburst finish is obvious and complements the gradual external colour change. The flying tourbillon The focal point of the lower half of the dial is the one-minute, flying t...

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A. Lange & Söhne Introduces the Lange 1 Daymatic “25th Anniversary” SJX Watches
A. Lange & Sohne Aug 2, 2019

A. Lange & Söhne Introduces the Lange 1 Daymatic “25th Anniversary”

The gradual, one-a-month rollout of the 10-piece A. Lange & Söhne 25th anniversary is, fortunately, almost at an end, with number eight just being unveiled: the Lange 1 Daymatic “25th Anniversary”. Launched 16 years after the Lange 1, the Lange 1 Daymatic was an exercise in practicality, being the first watch in the family to be powered by a self-winding movement, the cal. L021.1. And it also included a day of the week indicator, in addition to the date. A splitting image of the original Though functionally different, it was a mirror image likeness the original Lange 1, featuring the familiar asymmetric dial, but inverted. A retrograde display for the day of the week replaced the power reserve of the original. Not only does the Daymatic look like the original, it also has the same dimension, and even retains the pusher for the date at 10 o’clock. But despite the upgrades, the Daymatic has never been as popular as the original Lange 1, leaving it as the least known of the line-up. The new Daymatic is the commemorative, white gold rendition of the model. At 39mm in diameter and 10.4mm high, it is just 1mm wider and 0.6mm thicker than the standard Lange 1. And, in keeping with the anniversary colour theme, it features a solid silver, argenté dial with recessed, grained segments that’s paired with blued steel hands. Instead of the applied hour markers found on the standard Daymatic, the Roman numerals and indices are printed in blue. Visible through the ...

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Omega Unveils Seamaster Planet Ocean Tokyo 2020 Limited Edition SJX Watches
Omega Unveils Seamaster Planet Ocean Jul 27, 2019

Omega Unveils Seamaster Planet Ocean Tokyo 2020 Limited Edition

As Tokyo counts down to hosting the 2020 Olympics, the games’ official timekeeper is also counting down with progressive rollouts of limited edition watches. Exactly a year to the start of Tokyo 2020, Omega has announced a pair of commemorative dive watches: the Seamaster Aqua Terra Tokyo 2020 and the slightly less interesting Seamaster Planet Ocean Tokyo 2020. Inspired by the Japanese flag, the Seamaster Planet Ocean Tokyo 2020 Limited Edition is clad in white with red accents. It is based on the midsize Planet Ocean, so the steel case is 39.5mm in diameter (the largest size is 43.5mm). Both the dial and bezel insert in white ceramic. The “lollipop” tip of the seconds hand is in red, as is the “20” on the bezel. Inside is the Master Chronometer cal. 8800, a top of the line automatic movement with various innovations designed to ensure good timekeeping over long periods, including a silicon hairspring and Co-Axial escapement. And special alloys used for the escapement ensure it is magnetism-resistant to 15,000 Gauss.   Key facts Diameter: 39.5mm Material: Stainless steel Movement: Master Chronometer Calibre 8800 Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, and date Winding: Automatic Frequency: 25,200bph, or 3.5Hz Power reserve: 55 hours Strap: Delivered with three options – steel bracelet, rubber strap lined with white crocodile leather, and fabric “NATO” strap. Price and availability The Seamaster Planet Ocean Tokyo 2020 Limited Edition (ref. 522.33.4...

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Living with the Panerai Luminor 1950 3 Days GMT PAM 1033 SJX Watches
Panerai Luminor 1950 3 Days Jul 26, 2019

Living with the Panerai Luminor 1950 3 Days GMT PAM 1033

Originally a no-nonsense dive watch made for the frogmen of the Italian navy during the Second World War, Panerai has been moving towards more civilian-friendly sports watches. The evolution is best illustrated by the Luminor Due, which is smaller and thinner, and as far removed from a traditional Panerai as possible while still retaining the signature crown locking mechanism. At the same time, Panerai has also rolled out watches that are oversized like the military originals, but with an increasingly variety of dial colours, like the quartet with blue dials in 2016. Such metallic blue dials are currently fashionable, so it’s no surprise Panerai has continued with the same colour. The recent Luminor 1950 3 Days GMT PAM01033 is essentially an upsized, 44mm  version of the PAM 688 from 2016. I had one on the wrist for a few days – here’s how the test drive went. Compared with the earlier PAM 688, size is not the only difference with the new Luminor PAM 1033. A small but significant design tweak is the colour of the hands: instead of gold hands as as before, the hands now match the case. Though the change is seemingly minor, it gives the watch a different look, one that’s more contemporary, because the hands, though small, are the focal point on the dial. But the beige Super-Luminova on the dial and hands is faux-vintage, which does not quite match the newness of the blue dial. The dial is a “sandwich” construction, a signature feature of Paner...

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Hands-On: Urwerk UR-105 “The Hour Glass” SJX Watches
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph now Jul 24, 2019

Hands-On: Urwerk UR-105 “The Hour Glass”

Singapore retailer The Hour Glass kicked off its 40th anniversary limited editions with the all-platinum Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph, now followed by a pair of watches from leading independent watchmakers, De Bethune and Urwerk. The Singapore retailer is getting a three-piece limited edition based on the current UR-105, but one that’s also a throwback to the brand’s early creations. In aged bronze and titanium, The UR-105 “The Hour Glass” similar to the UR-105 CT Bronze unveiled earlier this year, but streamlined and sans the sprung lid over the front – a simplification of the design that’s also an improvement. Appropriate enough for a retailer that’s been selling Urwerk for 15 years, the commemorative edition features elements borrowed from Urwerk models over the years, creating a watch that’s a nostalgic reminder of the brand’s foundational watches from the early 2000s. UR-103 reborn The UR-105 was launched in 2014 as the successor to the UR-103, first launched in 2003. The bestselling Urwerk to date and arguably the brand’s signature watch, the UR-103 was the watch that made Urwerk a champion of avant-garde mechanical watchmaking. A nod to that milestone watch, the commemorative UR-105 features a U-shaped sapphire crystal, just as it was on the UR-103.03. While the very first version of the watch, the UR-103.01, featuring a narrow, curved window for the time, the UR-103.03 of 2005 expanded the view with a far larger cry...

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No downsides to the A. Lange & Söhne 1815 Up/Down Time+Tide
A. Lange & Sohne Jul 20, 2019

No downsides to the A. Lange & Söhne 1815 Up/Down

Editor’s note: The other day I caught up with someone who’d recently picked up an A. Lange & Söhne 1815 Up/Down, and holding it in my hand - by golly gosh, those German guys at ALS know their way around a watch. This piece might not be their most complicated or most hyped, but it’s … ContinuedThe post No downsides to the A. Lange & Söhne 1815 Up/Down appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

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Editorial: The Pursuit of Greatness in Vintage Complications SJX Watches
Patek Philippe landmark complicated references ref Jul 14, 2019

Editorial: The Pursuit of Greatness in Vintage Complications

There is no real point in collecting anything unless for the sake of beauty. The moment I see a watch for the first time is always the most crucial. The pieces that ended up entering the collection always touched me viscerally when I first saw them.  Over time, almost unconsciously, as the collection took shape, the watches not only have a uniformity of standard and taste, but also reflect an intuition distinctly my own.  Taste is the developed perception of aesthetics unique to every collector, while standard pertains to quality and rarity. In the big picture, “beauty” – in both tangible and abstract terms – has come to encompass all three: aesthetics, quality, and rarity.  The watches I crave and seek, be it the best examples of the most important references of the most important manufactures, or unique “time-only” examples of incredible quality and design, must be eternal in their beauty. In this article we delve into a few complicated watches close to my heart.  Passing time cannot affect an object that is truly beautiful. Just look at two of the most important Patek Philippe landmark complicated references: ref. 1518, the first perpetual calendar chronograph wristwatch in the world, and ref. 3448, the first self-winding, perpetual calendar wristwatch. Their designs are perfectly balanced, timeless, as fresh today as when they were first introduced – in the early 1940s and the early 1960s, respectively.  For years, the daunting challenge had been in ...

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6 of the best women’s watches of 2018 Time+Tide
Jul 2, 2019

6 of the best women’s watches of 2018

Half a decade ago, Time+Tide published a story, citing that by 2020 there would be more female millionaires in Britain than male, leaving it to the brands to respond to this shift. As we also mentioned here, women’s watches are so often an afterthought from brands, typically taking a men’s model and either shrinking it down … ContinuedThe post 6 of the best women’s watches of 2018 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

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HANDS-ON: The Franck Muller Gravity Skeleton  Time+Tide
Franck Muller Jun 28, 2019

HANDS-ON: The Franck Muller Gravity Skeleton 

Architectural is a word that gets thrown around a lot in watch writing, and when you look at a watch like this Franck Muller Gravity Skeleton you can see why. The clear, expansive view provided allows the wearer to look down at a tiny, and industrious city, busily whirring away.  And if we continue the … ContinuedThe post HANDS-ON: The Franck Muller Gravity Skeleton  appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

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Up Close: Rolex GMT-Master II Meteorite Ref. 126719BLRO-0002 SJX Watches
Rolex GMT-Master II Meteorite Ref Jun 28, 2019

Up Close: Rolex GMT-Master II Meteorite Ref. 126719BLRO-0002

In the Rolex sports watch hall of fame, the GMT-Master II is arguably the most practical. It is a relatively affordable, dual time zone watch; and there are, after all, more people who travel than those who dive or race or sail. At the same time, the GMT-Master has always been available in precious metal, in 18k Everose for instance, and also lavishly bejewelled like the popular sapphire and ruby “SARU”. The new meteorite dial GMT-Master II, on the other hand, is bling meets functionality without the gemstones, making it an unusual and compelling watch. And it’s also the first time Rolex has used meteorite in a watch other than the Daytona or Day-Date. In fact, the meteorite GMT-Master probably the most practical ultra-luxe travel watch out there. And it costs only about US$1600 over the standard white gold GMT-Master with a blue dial, making it a worthwhile upgrade. Maybe “Pan Am” Rolex has not revealed what inspired the meteorite GMT-Master, but the GMT-Master “Pan Am” or “Albino” is obvious. Reputedly made in small numbers for executives at Pan American Airways – the company credited for the creation of the GMT-Master – the GMT-Masters fitted with white dials are either the refs. 6542 or 1675. A handful are known and have sold for well into six figures, but the white dial examples are controversial and often accompanied by unending questions as to whether they are legit. A jewel of a watch In contrast, the modern day equivalent of...

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HANDS-ON: Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Master Grande Tradition Tourbillon Zodiaque Time+Tide
Jaeger-LeCoultre s Master Grande Tradition Jun 27, 2019

HANDS-ON: Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Master Grande Tradition Tourbillon Zodiaque

When you look at Jaeger-LeCoultre’s core offerings from their Reverso and Master Collection lines it’s easy to see why the brand has something of a reputation for straight, sober watchmaking. But don’t forget that Jaeger-LeCoultre is also capable of absolute top-shelf high-complication, high-jewellery pieces like this (frankly astonishing) Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Grande Tradition Tourbillon Zodiaque.  So what … ContinuedThe post HANDS-ON: Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Master Grande Tradition Tourbillon Zodiaque appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

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Leap year? No worries – 3 celebrities rocking the Patek Philippe Nautilus Perpetual Calendar 5740G Time+Tide
Patek Philippe Nautilus Perpetual Calendar 5740G Jun 26, 2019

Leap year? No worries – 3 celebrities rocking the Patek Philippe Nautilus Perpetual Calendar 5740G

The Patek Philippe Nautilus Perpetual Calendar 5740G was unveiled at Baselworld 2018 to much fanfare, as it marked the debut of the perpetual calendar complication in the iconic Gérald Genta-designed watch. It still retains its signature looks, with the embossed blue dial, integrated bracelet and 40mm size. It’s also got a pleasing degree of heft … ContinuedThe post Leap year? No worries – 3 celebrities rocking the Patek Philippe Nautilus Perpetual Calendar 5740G appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

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Ventura Returns with the V-Matic Ego SJX Watches
Nomos Zurich Jun 25, 2019

Ventura Returns with the V-Matic Ego

Watch collectors who were around in the late 1990s and early 2000s would remember Ventura. It specialised in – literally – design watches. All its timepieces were created by noted industrial designers, including Flemming Bo Hansen and more frequently, Hannes Wettstein, who also designed the Nomos Zurich. The house style was sleek, pared back, slightly Scandinavian, but also distinguished by unusual materials – Ventura made liberal use of surfaced hardened titanium (Titanox) and steel (Durinox), a great novelty at the time. The Ventura V-Matic Ego remake But the brand made a pivot into high-end, self-winding electronic watches in the early 2000s, which unsurprisingly ended in Ventura going bust. Now Ventura is being resurrected by its former owner, UK-based watch importer Zeon Ltd (that’s in turn owned by a Hong Kong watch manufacturer), in partnership with Stephan Hürlemann, the designer who took over Wettstein’s studio after his death. I liked very much what Ventura was doing back in the day – the combination of design and materials was unique – but the original watches were surprisingly expensive, particularly by the standards of the time. The new remakes manage to reproduce the original design in a similar alloy, at a notably affordable price. Designer watches for less The revived Ventura sticks to a tried and tested sales formula: direct to the consumer via crowdfunding platform Kickstarter, making the new Ventura watches notably affordable, s...

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Rolex GMT-Master II – 116710 BLNR Review WatchAdvice
Rolex GMT-Master II – 116710 Jun 22, 2019

Rolex GMT-Master II – 116710 BLNR Review

Sitting in the mid-range of Rolex’s collection, the Rolex GMT-Master II 116710 BLNR is a favourite among watch enthusiasts. There are few other models within the GMT Master II range, all with close similarities to the 116710 BLNR. What sets them apart is the two-tone color schemes of the Bezel and also gold, rose-gold and bracelet variations.  The GMT-Master II – 116710 BLNR is a previous generation model as Rolex has released a new GMT-Master II (126710 BLNR). There are some differences between the two models such as the new 126710 BLNR gets an updated movement along with a new jubilee bracelet. Watchadvice will review the 126710 BLNR at a later stage. To describe the GMT-Master II BLNR , it’s good to understand its beginnings. The very first Rolex GMT-Master was actually designed in partnership with Pan American Airways. Pan American Airways wanted to give the GMT-Master models to its pilots and crew to be able to use on those long flights. If you don’t know already, the GMT in the model name stands for Greenwich Mean Time which is translated to mean solar time. The personnel on the Pan American flights could use the GMT hand on the Rolex to set the time to GMT or even another time zone. Then using the rotatable 24hr Bezel and setting it to the correct offset, they can use it to read a second time zone. The main theory behind Pan American Airways giving this timepiece to its personnel was so that they could keep track of not only the current time zone but also t...

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RECOMMENDED READING: 1969 – the year that changed watchmaking forever Time+Tide
Jun 17, 2019

RECOMMENDED READING: 1969 – the year that changed watchmaking forever

In the history of the 20th century, few years are as loaded with cultural weight as the year 1969. It’s defined in our collective memory as the year of Woodstock and the Moon Landing, but it’s also a year of great significance for watches. Chris Hall has done the heavy lifting here for QP Magazine, … ContinuedThe post RECOMMENDED READING: 1969 – the year that changed watchmaking forever appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

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Crazy Rich Asians just hit Netflix, watch it for the Newman that had its own bodyguard on set Time+Tide
Jun 9, 2019

Crazy Rich Asians just hit Netflix, watch it for the Newman that had its own bodyguard on set

Editor’s note: Crazy Rich Asians is a cracking film. It’s fresh, funny and ridiculous. For all but the 0.01% of real life Crazy Rich Asians that it – apparently – very faithfully depicts. All of that Rotten Tomatoes validation aside, it also has a watch in it that was borrowed from a collector; and came onto the … ContinuedThe post Crazy Rich Asians just hit Netflix, watch it for the Newman that had its own bodyguard on set appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

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5 watches to survive the end of the world, just in case things really kick off Time+Tide
May 25, 2019

5 watches to survive the end of the world, just in case things really kick off

Editor’s note: It’s 2019, and along with the feeling that drone-delivered pizza is imminent, many people are also experiencing some form of existential apocalyptic angst. And rather than tell you that it’s all going to be OK, we’d suggest you prepare by watching a few series of Doomsday Preppers and reading this list. We’re sure … ContinuedThe post 5 watches to survive the end of the world, just in case things really kick off appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

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HANDS-ON: Swimming with sharks – the Seiko Prospex SRPD21K Save the Ocean  Time+Tide
Seiko Prospex SRPD21K Save May 22, 2019

HANDS-ON: Swimming with sharks – the Seiko Prospex SRPD21K Save the Ocean 

Last year, Seiko announced their Save the Ocean initiative – a partnership between famed underwater explorer and conservationist Fabien Cousteau and Seiko Prospex. This program is aimed at raising awareness (and funds) for marine conservation. It was also a partnership that saw some very cool ‘Save the Ocean’ editions of classic Seiko divers.  Well, it’s … ContinuedThe post HANDS-ON: Swimming with sharks – the Seiko Prospex SRPD21K Save the Ocean  appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

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