Deployant
New: Patek Philippe Service Centre strengthens regional presence
Patek Philippe reopens its Singapore Service Centre at the same location in Wheelock Place. Here is a brief of the newly renovated premises. Press Release.
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Deployant
Patek Philippe reopens its Singapore Service Centre at the same location in Wheelock Place. Here is a brief of the newly renovated premises. Press Release.
SJX Watches
Patek Philippe is one of the most revered watch brands but an outlier amongst its peers in relying almost entirely on independent retailers to sell its watches. Of the hundreds of Patek Philippe points-of-sale around the world, the brand owns just three. But the converse is true for its after-sales service where the brand is almost entirely vertically integrated. Patek Philippe will soon own and operate ten service centres in key cities around the world, backed up with four of its own watchmaking institutes. The Geneva watchmaker does this to fulfil its pledge of being able to repair and maintain “all timepieces ever made by Patek Philippe since production began in 1839”. Consolidation and consistency In pursuit of a uniformly high standard of service across the world, Patek Philippe is in the process of consolidating its service network from a peak of 59 service centres worldwide, some of which were run by independent retailers, to just ten key locations. Amongst the regional centres are one each in Germany, France, and the United States, but most will be located in Asia – the brand’s biggest market – in China, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, and Singapore. All of the ten will be run by Patek Philippe itself, or more specifically, its regional subsidiaries. The Singapore service centre, for instance, is run by Geneva Master Time (GMT), Patek Philippe’s subsidiary for Southeast Asia. GMT also has a smaller service centre in Bangkok, a necessity given that Thailand i...
Time+Tide
Editor’s note: A couple of years ago, life got a lot easier for the Melbourne Rolex collector. Rolex Australia blessed the coffee-obsessed city with a shiny new service centre, a move that made the already appealing prospect of buying a Rolex even more appealing, with the knowledge that a repair would be as pain-free as … ContinuedThe post Finding satisfaction at the Melbourne Rolex Service Centre appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
In a battle that’s been brewing since the dawn of Time (and Tide, in 2014), Andrew and Felix finally pick up the tools and take on the challenge of taking apart and then rebuilding a manually wound movement. We lay our scene at the Omega Service Centre in Melbourne, and the occasion is somewhat of … ContinuedThe post VIDEO: Oh boy. Andrew vs Felix in watch rebuild battle at the Omega Service Centre. Watchmakers, look away … appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Anyone that’s been touched by motor neurone disease, in any way, is likely to want to help the world find a cure. It’s a brutal and dehumanising disease. The one Australian that’s done the most to raise the profile of sufferers, by creating the ‘Fight MND’ organisation, is Australian Football League legend, Neale Daniher. He calls … ContinuedThe post WIN: An Oris Royal Flying Doctor Service Limited Edition II and help fight motor neurone disease appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
When it comes to partnerships, there are a few routes watch brands typically embark on. There’s the celebrity ambassador, which is often little more than name awareness and a few key appearances. Then there’s the high-profile event tie-in, which usually results in a limited edition with a few dial tweaks. And there’s the organisational partnership, which, … ContinuedThe post EXCLUSIVE: Hands-on with the Oris Royal Flying Doctor Service Limited Edition II, live from the Avalon airshow appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Deployant
The F.P. Journe Patrimoine Service a service where the brand purchases pre-owned pieces, authenticate, restore, update and offers for sale with as new.
SJX Watches
Synonymous with durability and consistency, Rolex is most famous for the water-resistant Oyster watch case. But as important are its movements engineered to optimise timekeeping and functionality, exemplified by innovations like Chronergy and LIGA chronograph wheels. At the same time, Rolex watches are built for longevity, with the brand guaranteeing the availability of parts and labour for every model for at least 35 years after its discontinuation. Crucial in ensuring that the parts and labour are applied correctly is Rolex World Service, the brand’s after-sales division. The typically secretive Swiss watchmaking giant recently peeled back the covers on Rolex World Service, allowing a peek into its processes with information and a series of photos. Rolex World Service Rolex World Service encompasses the brand’s global after-sales service network, which is primarily made up of Rolex subsidiaries but occasionally run by third-party distributors in certain markets. All service centres are meant to offer a uniformly standard of service, regardless of ownership. A variety of servicing options are on offer at Rolex – all relatively affordable – with the most common being the full service detailed below. As the name implies, a full service is comprehensive, including polishing and replacements of parts. It is catered for the average consumer who wants a watch looking fresh and new, rather than the enthusiast or collector who prefers originality. A full service start...
Hodinkee
What We Know Bradley Taylor, a Canadian independent watchmaker working out of a 1,000-square-foot workshop in North Vancouver, has released the Ardea, his third watch and first with an in-house movement. Taylor, a rising talent in the space, trained in Le Locle under Henrik Korpela, earned a Patek Philippe Level II service certification in Geneva, and produced two sold-out series before beginning work on the Ardea in late 2023. The Ardea is offered in stainless steel or platinum 950 and measures 37.8mm in diameter with a 46.4mm lug-to-lug and a thickness of 10.9mm, including the crystals. The sapphire caseback is very slightly domed for wrist comfort, and the watch is rated to 5 ATM. The dial is 925 sterling silver, engine-turned on a rose engine that Taylor estimates is roughly 120 years old, and he restored it over three months. The pattern is a 36-scallop rosette with a progressive phase shift between each concentric pass, producing a characterful swirling texture. After the engraving, the dial is depletion-gilded, a silversmithing process that involves repeated heating and acid treatment until the dial's surface is pure silver. It is then sealed with Zapon lacquer. The text and markings are pad-printed on a Tampoprint machine that Taylor also restored himself. The applied numerals are machined from solid platinum and hand-polished to a spherical shape. The dial lettering and wordmark were designed by Ian Brignell, a Toronto typographer whose work includes the Paramou...
Worn & Wound
The post Just a Minute with the Leather Service Watch Pouch from the Windup Watch Shop appeared first on Worn & Wound.
Fratello
If you haven’t been watching, gold prices have been on a tear over the past year. Currently, the metal is trading at an all-time high. For lovers of vintage watches made from the precious metal, it’s time to wake up and take action. When bidding at auction on an old gold watch, there’s a good […] Visit Public Service Announcement: Save The Vintage Gold Watches to read the full article.
Worn & Wound
Hot on the heels of a pair of well received watches paying tribute to Smokey Bear, Vero is back with a new collection made in partnership with the USDA Forest Service. Vero has really dug into a niche with these recent releases, bolstering their image as an authentically outdoors focused brand. I really like it when brands fully embrace something that’s obviously important to them, and Vero’s release strategy is a great example of the best example of this idea. The coolest thing about these watches, though, is that they aren’t merely exercises in licensing – they have a distinct design language in conversation with Vero’s other watches. The Forest Service collection is made up of four watches, with each colorway inspired by Forest Service teams charged with protecting US forests and grasslands. The Airtanker has a red/orange dial that matches the color of the fire retardants used in fighting forest fires, the Ranger has a black dial with green and khaki accents meant to evoke the iconic Forest Service uniforms, the Hotshot features bright yellow accents that match the uniforms of the teams who go by the same name and have a particular expertise in forest fire behavior, and the Service Green watch has a bright green tone that matches Forest Service utility vehicles. Looking at the collection as a whole, it’s clear that Vero is having fun with color here, something we always appreciate in a space still dominated by conservative choices and monotone design decis...
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Introducing: a set of four new watches from Vero-the Vero Forest Service edition lineup. Check out photos, specs, and pricing!
Fratello
Today, the American independent brand Vero is launching an exciting collection of watches for those who live and breathe the outdoors. Whether that’s in a professional capacity or a recreational one, these modern field watches should resonate with people who love nature. These watches are robust, colorful, and affordable. Not only that, but they also […] Visit Introducing: The Vero USDA Forest Service Edition Lineup to read the full article.
SJX Watches
Cortina Holdings has just inaugurated Horology Services, the Singapore retailer’s first after-sales service centre. Situated at the Capitol mall, the centre encompasses a sizeable 142 sq m and serves as the retailer’s principal location for maintaining and repairing the timepieces of the brands represented by Cortina as well as its subsidiary, Sincere Fine Watches. Vertically integration of SAV Since its founding in 1972, Cortina has grown into one of the world’s largest watch retailers, with a presence concentrated in Southeast Asia, with branches as far as Hong Kong, Taiwan and Australia. In 2020, Cortina bolstered its network by acquiring Sincere, which is best known for its Sincere Haute Horlogerie (SHH) specialty stores focused on independent watchmakers like Parmigiani and Greubel Forsey. The new service centre is thus a natural progression in cementing Cortina’s status as a leading retailer by enhancing the client experience before and after a purchase. The limited edition Cartier Baignoire made for Cortina’s 50th anniversary in 2022. Comfortably furnished and equipped with a private room for one-on-one consultations, Horology Services was conceived to meet international standards for service centres. The centre is equipped with the full suite of equipment and tools, and staffed by a full team of watchmakers and technicians, who are either certified by watchmaking schools or watch brands. As a result, the centre can provide the full range of services, st...
Fratello
Welcome to this week’s episode of Fratello Talks. Today, Nacho is joined by Morgan and RJ to discuss the topic of watch servicing. More specifically, they answer common questions on the topic, including: when should you service your watch? How often should you service your watch? And how much should you expect to pay for […] Visit Fratello Talks: When Should You Service Your Watch? to read the full article.
Hodinkee
What is it about spy movies and watches? Bond had his Rolex (and now his OMEGA) and Bourne had his TAG Heuer. Those characters’ movies featured watches as subtle (okay, sometimes not so subtle) product placements. But the forthcoming spy thriller “Kingsman: The Secret Service” not only has watches front and center, its producers and costume designers also actually had three watches commissioned especially for it. Those watches are from Bremont, based on two of the brand’s existing chronographs, but with some unique features and the fictional secret organization’s logo on their dials.
Time+Tide
Much like the many-headed Hydra that Hercules was sent to kill in the Greek legends, the coronavirus pandemic is a beast that just won’t go away. Just when one head has been cut off, two more grow back in its place. As a result of this multifaceted challenge, greater Sydney (as well as several other … ContinuedThe post Public service announcement: How to buy a watch if you’re stuck in the Sydney lockdown appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Adrian Aldred has always had an under-the radar and unconventional approach to the watch world. At age 19, he bought a Rolex AirKing using the cash saved from his barbering job and through design college used his student loans to buy more watches. He flipped to being a seller after discovering the Italian brand Locman, … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: Convopiece is the ultra bespoke service that will make the watch of your dreams appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
Long before the Odysseus “sport-elegant” watch, A. Lange & Söhne already had a serially produced timepiece in stainless steel. In the late 1990s, just as the brand was rapidly gaining traction as the preeminent German watchmaker – remember that it had only unveiled its wristwatch collection in 1994 – the company rolled out the fabled 1815 service watch. (NB: Sotheby’s has withdrawn the watch from the sale.) The rationale behind the watch was simple: a loaner for clients who had sent in their Lange wristwatch for servicing. Staying true to the exceptionally high standards the start-up brand had established for itself, the loaner was not a disposable or cut-rate watch. It was a time-only 1815 that was almost identical to the standard model – with the same highly finished movement and solid silver dial – except the case was steel while the dial was black with white markings, a colour not available on the regular production watch. Note the case back engraving. Photo – Sotheby’s Reputedly around 80-120 of these service watches were made. They were produced in small batches over a period, perhaps over a handful of years from the late 1990s to the early 2000s. The number might not seem like much, but with the company being relatively new at the time, the number of watches returned for servicing was presumably quite small. The movement in the service watch is finished to exactly the same level as that on a standard watch. Photo – Sotheby’s The 1815 serv...
Time+Tide
OK, we’ll skip the whole “shaken, not stirred” routine and skip to the salient facts. Omega has just released its latest Bond-themed timepiece, the Omega Seamaster 50th Anniversary of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service – and it’s pretty awesome. Limited to just 7007 pieces (see what they did there?), the Bond watch pays homage to, … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The Omega Seamaster 50th Anniversary of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
Omega’s carefully paced rollout of thematic watches is building up to next year’s release of No Time to Die, the 25th James Bond film and perhaps Daniel Craig’s last outing as 007. With the upcoming film seven months away, the just-announced Seamaster Diver 300M instead celebrates the 50th anniversary of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (OHMSS), the 1969 James Bond adventure that was the one and only time Australian actor George Lazenby played Bond. In the usual style of a James Bond edition, the OHMSS edition is a standard model that’s been face-lifted to include numerous details referring to 007. The base watch is the 42mm Seamaster Diver 300M with a steel case. Here the dial is black PVD-coated, black ceramic dial that’s engraved with the familiar gun barrel spiral motif and the base of a bullet at its centre. The hands and indices are 18k yellow gold, with the 12 o’clock marker being featuring the three spheres from the fictional Bond family coat of arms. Two less obvious details lie in the date disc, which has its “7” rendered in the “007” logo, as well as the 10 o’clock marker that has a “secret signature” of “50” visible only in the dark within the Super-Luminova. The edition is limited to 7,007 and pieces, with an 18k yellow gold plate screwed into the side of the case bearing the individual watch number. It’s packaged in a large box that includes a travel pouch emblazoned with the Bond coat of arms, as well as a steel brace...
Revolution
In anticipation of the 2020 release of No Time to Die and the 50th anniversary of the 1969 Bond film, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Omega launches the Seamaster Diver 300M Limited Edition.
Deployant
Special edition Bremont Kingsman watches. feature in the new film KIngsman: The Secret Service
SJX Watches
Having just unveiled the new-and-improved Pasha de Cartier in April, the Parisian jeweller has just announced an unusually generous suite of complimentary services for the owners of any Pasha watch – “regardless of the model and year of purchase” – anywhere in the world. An example of a Pasha from 1985, which would also be eligible for this offer Conceived to be part of the promotional activities for the new line, this impressive initiative covers two key amenities: servicing and personalisation. Any Pasha wristwatch can be taken to a Cartier boutique for a diagnosis and complimentary servicing. After servicing, the watch will also benefit from the standard post-servicing guarantee. Engraved initials on the recently-launched Pasha de Cartier At the same time, a Pasha wristwatch can be personalised with an engraving of the owner’s initials, either on the case back or on the side of the case under the chain that links the crown cap to the case. Cartier has not revealed how long these services will remain complimentary, but presumably not forever, so it would be prudent to make use of the offer sooner rather than later. For more, visit Cartier.com.
Hodinkee
I ordered a handmade strap all my own – here's how it went.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Real-world testing of historic military designs that earned their place: simple layouts, strong lume, rugged builds, and timeless reliability.
Teddy Baldassarre
Before getting into the watches of the Navy SEALs, it's worth establishing some context about these modern-day Spartans. Officially established in 1962, the Navy SEALs, one of the U.S. military’s most elite special operations units, has its origins in World War II, with the formation of organized maritime commando teams for covert reconnaissance of landing beaches and the mounting of coastal defenses. At first designated as Amphibious Scouts and Raiders, and later as Underwater Demolitions Teams (UDTs), the graduates of the Joint Expeditionary Base in Little Creek, Virginia served admirably in the European and Pacific Theater in the years following the 1942 attack on Pearl Harbor. In the Korean War that began in 1950, an expanded force of UDT operatives played a key role, turning their covert and demolition expertise to tunnels, bridges, and other coastal targets, as well as mine sweeping and infiltration. With another Southeast Asian conflict heating up in Vietnam, President John F. Kennedy urged Congress to allocate more of the military budget to strengthen America’s capabilities in much-needed “unconventional warfare.” The result was the evolution of the UDTs and other special forces into guerrilla and anti-guerilla units that would be able to operate on “Sea, Air, and Land” - the Navy SEALs. SEAL team members, the first generation drawn from the ranks of the UDTs, were trained not only in amphibious activities but skills like hand-to-hand combat and hig...
Worn & Wound
It probably goes without saying that here at Worn & Wound we think watch collecting is a rewarding hobby that if approached in the right way can bring you a lot of happiness over the course of many years. And unlike, say, tennis, there’s very little risk of injury. And unlike a pursuit like car collecting, you won’t need to buy a separate parcel of real estate to store your collection, unless you happen to be John Mayer (allegedly). And in our opinion it’s an easy hobby to recommend because you can get deep into it without spending a fortune, and we also happen to know there’s a great community of like-minded enthusiasts out there who can provide support, advice, and general expertise along the way. But it’s not all sunshine and daisies. Oh no, not at all. Eventually, the time will come when you need to send a watch in for service, and this is the point where enthusiasts are either made or perhaps run away from watches, never to return. OK, I’m exaggerating somewhat. But the watch servicing process is something that binds all of us together in a way that only shared trauma can. Nobody likes to service a watch. It’s expensive, anxiety inducing, and frequently the process is less than transparent. It can also take what seems like forever to get a watch back once it’s been sent out. Plus, to state the obvious, you have to go without your watch for some indefinite period – the greatest indignity of them all! We love these things as much as one can love “t...
Hodinkee
How I finally realized that Memorial Day is about more than parades and barbecues.
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